The other night I got online to to catch up on some sermons from NewSpring Church down in SC. Since moving back to New Hampshire I haven't had an opportunity to view what I had the privilege of experiencing live every Sunday for over a year. The other Sunday NewSpring had Dan Lian bring the message from Mark 4:35-41 which is the story where Jesus is sleeping in a boat while the disciples are trying to weather a storm.
Throughout Dan's message I couldn't help but think about the past few years of my life. In Nov of 2008 I took some time away at Acadia National Park up in Maine. I had just come out of an extremely busy season in my life and needed time just to get away, relax, regroup, and try and get a handle on what my life had become. Little did I know during that trip that a storm in my life was just over the horizon.
Less than a month later my life as I had know it got completely turned upside down. Everything I thought I knew and believed about God was challenged. Who I had become as a person started to become exposed. The place that I thought I could find security completely failed me. I was left in the middle of a storm wondering if Jesus was with me and if it even mattered to him that I was going through all that I was experiencing.
For the next couple years, I did everything I knew to do. I connected with Christ in new and deeper ways. I rested, I cried, I spent time seeking after God. I ran to him, I saw clarity in some areas, and yet in other specific ways God remained silent in the middle of my storm.
There are so many different storms that come in and out of our lives. Sometimes we see them coming and sometimes they show up by surprise. Some times they last for a few moments, and other times they seem to be never ending.
In some ways I'm still experiencing a stormy season. God's provided in so many ways in so many different areas of my life. But there are areas where I'm still waiting out the storm. But the best part of being in this kind of storm, is that I know and believe Jesus is in the boat with me. He won't leave, and he's preparing to act on my behalf.
If you can, please take the time to watch this message from Dan. For me it was a great reminder that even when God's seems silent, He's still there. The message starts around 31 minutes into the video. Silence in The Storm
If you can, please take the time to watch this message from Dan. For me it was a great reminder that even when God's seems silent, He's still there. The message starts around 31 minutes into the video. Silence in The Storm
1 comment:
i miss your insight. this was a great message, good for me to hear too :)
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