–2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
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                    “God’s interpretation is bigger than the storm.”
                             –Dr. Mike Minter

Yes, I want to spend some more time contemplating that statement.  Yesterday we looked at the idea of God seeing things from a different perspective.  In reality, He sees things from all perspectives; all perspectives imaginable.  Think of that–He understands where you are coming from.  He understands where your opponent is coming from.  He even sees any other possible alternative.  He knows the mood and attitude you are in during the demands in front of you, and understands them.  That does not mean He likes them or approves of them, but He understands–He is the God who is there beside you.
       There is another perspective–that is the unknown.  God sees into the unknown, the spirit realm.  We read in 2 Kings 6:

               .15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots.  And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master!  What shall we do?”
               .16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
               .17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.”  Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.  And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”  (NKJV)

Now, I’m not sure that Elisha actually saw the host on the mountain, but he knew–get that, he knew they were there.  His perspective came from faith.  He did not have to look into the spirit realm to see them, but God allowed the young servant a glimpse.  David penned, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NKJV)  David didn’t have to see into the spirit world, because he had a Spirit perspective.  Jesus, before His accusers said, “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53, NKJV)  Jesus had a different perspective than those that came to arrest Him that night.  
       People go astray in their heart because they look at the things of God with worldly eyes.  Their hearts are inclined to do what is right in their own eyes rather than what the Lord would have for them.  The world cannot understand you because of their perspective.  Paul writes, “But the unspiritual person [who does not have the Spirit of God] does not accept [what we teach about] revelatory insights and the gifts of the Spirit of God.  For they are folly and nonsense to him/her and [such revelations and teachings] cannot be grasped or understood [by an unspiritual mind] because they are spiritually examined and evaluated.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, Harbuck)
       We are surrounded by another world, another realm, that of the supernatural.  Now, don’t make this into a hoo-doo thing.  We are not to look into the realm of the spirits, for that is of God.  The eastern and transcendental thinkers say that the mind should be emptied and then one can enter into the spirit realm.  Dangerous, and unbiblical.  The Bible teaches that we are to meditate and fill our minds with the Word of God and focus on God Himself.  In other words, keep a proper Biblical perspective, for to please God we must have and walk by faith.  Walk in faith when the storms come and rage against you knowing that God is there.  Know that there is a purpose for the storm, and trust in Him.  I am reminded of the great song by Stuart Hamblen:

               “Known only to Him are the great hidden secrets,
               I’ll fear not the darkness when my flame shall dim.
               I know not what the future holds,
               But I know who holds the future,
               It’s a secret known only to Him.”

It was a land of splintered peaks, of deep, dry gorges, of barren mesas burnt by the suns of a million torrid summers.  The normal condition of it was warfare.  Life here had to protect itself with a tough, callous rind, to attack with a swift, deadly sting.  Only the fit survived.”

                    –William MacLeod Raine  (Gunsight Pass)

        “Salt is good; but if the salt has losts its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

                    –Luke 14:34-35 (NKJV)

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My Pastor always preaches good sermons, but last Sunday bordered on great.  I am going to borrow some thoughts from it as I write this morning‘s Echo.  His text was from Luke 8:22-25, where the disciples are being overcome by the storm and Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat.  Think about this, in fact, it might be more real than we think.  Storms come into our lives and often catch us by surprise.  Yes, yes, the media/weather people keep us informed, but who would have suspected that last week our area would have accumulated more than twenty inches of rain?  We have tornado watches and warnings, but that doesn’t mean that we are fully prepared should one swoop down where we are.  As Pastor preached, storms can even press the most experienced.  Some of those in the boat were experienced sailors, but with this storm, they feared for their lives.  They forgot, or they didn’t realize the magnitude of the Person in the boat with them.  And that is a lesson for us:  “God is bigger than any storm we may ever face.”

       “God’s intention for our life is always bigger than the storm.”  There are several things we could discuss here regarding His intention.  We could throw in career, goals, family, material goods, the image of His Son, and on.  However, one of His intentions is to get up to heaven to be with Him.  In regard to this He will help and guide.  Read through the Psalms of David, how God provided for him.  The enemy of our soul intends for storms to confuse us, to bring us fear and anxiety, to add chaos to our lives, and even, if possible, to destroy us.  But, remember!  God’s intentions are bigger than the storm–He is there with us in the midst of them.  We can be fully confident that God who began the good work in us will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).  

       The third point of his sermon:  “God’s inclination is bigger than our storm.”  The disciples were losing control of the ship, as often we lose control of the situation we find ourselves in–the storms that come into our lives can send us out of control as we are at wit’s end.  The situation, the circumstance, the issue, the problem, the turmoil, the terror, the overwhelming storm can drive us into despair.  Finally, the disciples realized who was in the boat with them, and they went to Jesus, no, they scurried to him with their anxieties and fears.  And what did the Lord do, He arose to meet the storm.  There was no fear in Him.  He wasn’t anxious or concerned.  In fact, as our Pastor said, the original Greek indicates that He was very calm and passive when He stood to meet the storm.  He was tranquil and the water’s became as calm as the Lord’s spirit.  Think of this–if God can alter the laws of nature there is not a problem that He cannot handle.

       I skipped the second part of the message because I want us to dwell, meditate, and contemplate upon it.  Perhaps you have thought of this before, but it hit me last Sunday.  “God’s interpretation is bigger than the storm.”  The disciples were afraid; Jesus was sleeping.  The storm caused them anxiety; Jesus was resting in peaceful slumber.  The storm was not as big to Jesus as it was to the disciples–there was a different perspective.  In the midst of our crisis we may bemoan our circumstance and wonder how we are going to survive, but God–He never sleeps nor slumbers and He is there.  He sees the beginning from the end.  Remember, He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  He is not bound by time or space.  He recognizes things that are in the storm that we cannot see.  He knows the height of the waves and the structure of our character.  Perhaps the storm came to shore up a weak place in our character.  

       Greg A. Lane, wrote, “Every day we are faced with things that try to obstruct our view of Jesus.  We must be determined that nothing will stand in the way between us and the Master.”  I wrote that because of one of the most alarming Scriptures I pondered about on Tuesday and used in the Echo.  It is from Jeremiah, and it contains a warning and guidance.  “Thus says the LORD:  ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.  But they said, “We will not walk in it.”‘” (6:16, NKJV)  The way is there, don’t let anything–storm or miniscule item–block your view of Jesus.  There is a choice before you–continue to follow the “progressives”, follow those that detract or add to the Bible OR look and seek for the old paths.  Walk in the way the God has intended, then you will find rest, peace, and contentment.  Don’t let anything take your eyes off the One who is there!

       “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old.”
                   –Amos 9:11 (NKJV)
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I was reading over the weekend an article by Greg A. Lane which caught my attention.  Ponder the following verses for a few moments:  “Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?” (Psalm 113:5-6, NKJV)  Don’t leave that verse yet, read it one more time.  Far too often we think of God as just a mighty man, a super superman, but that cannot even compare to His power.  Lane brought to my attention the fact that when God deals with us puny, finite men, that He has to temper His strength.  
     Now think, when we pray “Lord, touch me,” we don’t realize what we are saying.  If He did not temper His touch He would crush us with it.  Or when we sing and pray, “Lord, breathe on me,” we forget that it was the breath of God that parted the Red Sea.  Imagine what that would do to us.  I have said this often before, do we realize what we are saying when we sing, “Lord, show us Your glory,” but if He did we would all die.  How about the miracle of the feeding of the 5000?  This was done from five loaves and two fish.  Perhaps we should be careful when we say we want the Lord to embrace us–oh, my, what would happen to us, this world if He did not temper His power?  (Greg A. Lane)
     One of God’s attributes is that He is omnipotent–all powerful.  Omnipotence means, “all powerful; able in every way and for every work.”  He has unlimited ability.  Stephen Charnock wrote, “The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve.”  In Psalm 62:11, we read, “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this:  that power belongs to God.” (NKJV)  God can do all and perform all that He resolves to be good.  Charnock continues, “Without power His mercy would be but feeble pity, His promises an empty sound, His threatenings a mere scarecrow.  God’s power is like Himself:  infinite, eternal, incomprehensible; it can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.”
     Now, don’t go getting foolish on me and use the notions that I heard back in philosophy and psychology classes.  “Can God make a rock that He cannot lift?”  Sheer stupidity.  God will not, cannot do anything that is against His holy character.  He has nothing to prove, therefore He “cannot make a square circle, for the notion of a square circle is self-contradictory, nor can He cease to be God.  But all that He wills and promises He can and will do.”  (J.I. Packer)
     From whence does He get His power?  God.  His power is not acquired, nor does it depend upon any recognition by any other authority.  It belongs to Him, inherently.  In fact, one of His names is power.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers speak of the Son of man sitting on the “right hand of power.”  “God’s power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained…  He is Himself the great central source and Originator of all power.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)  He is under the control of no other power and there is no power that can direct Him, manipulate Him, or command Him.  This should give us great comfort.  “Seeing that He is clothed with omnipotence, no prayer is too hard for Him to answer, no need too great for Him to supply, no passion too strong for Him to subdue; no temptation too powerful for Him to deliver from, no misery too deep for Him to relieve.”  (Arthur W. Pink)
     His presence then gives stability.  “I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” (Psalm 16:8, NKJV)  The world around us, the culture in which we live, may change but God remains constant.  When we are weak and insecure, God is there.  When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with us (Psalm 23:4)  Because He is God–He is power–we have protection in times of crisis and difficulty.  His power is an encouragement to prayer; His power encourages courage within us.  “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NKJV)  Remember, as you journey through this life in this evil world that God is there–God is the power.  “For there is power, power, wonder working power…”  (L.E. Jones)

                    –Louis L’Amour  (To Tame a Land)

       “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!”

                    –Jeremiah 8:20(NKJV)
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Grace is so much more than we can imagine.  It is “wonderful” going back to the literal meaning of that word–awesome, beyond understanding, mysterious and unique.  Grace is more than salvation; it is more than imputed righteousness.  The old theologian, J.C. Ryles says that, “Grace is stronger than circumstances.”  Psalm 116, gives us an idea of the grace that God bestows upon us.

          1 — I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.
          2 — Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
          3 — The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.
          4 — Then I called upon the name of the LORD:  “O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
          5 — Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful.
          6 — The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
          7 — Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
          8 — For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
          9 — I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.  (NKJV)

     I enjoy the story told by George O. Wood.  He spoke of a little girl who asked her Sunday School teacher why Jesus first told His disciple to “watch and pray,” but the last time He told them to “sleep on, and take your rest.”  The teacher did not respond, trying to come up with some wise answer for the child.  The little girl spoke again, “I think I know.  It was because Jesus had seen the face of His Father and He didn’t need their help anymore.”
     Remember the words of Jesus when He spoke, “for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NKJV).  We can do nothing without Him.  Now this is mostly regarding spiritual, eternal things, but think again.  Without Him we could not breathe, or walk, or think, for He is the sustainer.  Yes, it is His grace that sustains us.  I am reminded of the song by Mylon Lefevre,

               “Without Him, I could do nothing; Without Him, I’d surely fail;
               Without Him, I would be drifting, like a ship without a sail…
               Without Him, I would be dying; Without Him, I’d be enslaved;
                Without Him, life would be hopeless but with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved.”

     This is the central theme of Psalm 116–the all sufficient grace of God.  This helps us in our weakness, and oh, we are weak, no doubt about it.  Even when we think we are strong in reality, compared to Christ, we are weak.  God hears our prayers, He sees our needs, and He provides grace when and where and how much is needed.  We need to be like the Psalmist, “I will pray as long as I have breath!”. (vs 2, NLT)
     If you have ever done much fishing, you have probably encountered and fouled up line, all tangled and knotted.  This is the picture of verse 3, the NIV states, “The cords of death entangled me…”  Sometimes we get so tangled up in our problems that there seems to be no solution, frustration sets in and like the angered fisherman we want to simply cut the line and start over.  Ah, but then the grace of God is there.  He sees the problem and begins to work.  At times it may be instantaneous, a miracle so to speak; at other times He works by untangling and untying the knots one at a time.  Death may even have been the culprit, but God in His mercy and grace took charge.
     Look at the rest of this portion of the Psalm.  The Lord is gracious to His own and will do what is right.  His compassion is there, and the NLT renders it, “How kind the LORD is!  How good he is!  So merciful, this God of ours!” (vs 5)  He guards our steps, and saves us in our need.  Because He is there, and we can trust Him, we can be at rest.  Because of the Lord’s goodness we can rest in peace and security.  He rescues us when He sees that we are on a slippery slope or a rocky course.  Now, what is the result?  What are we to do?  We are to walk in His presence with uprightness.  The Psalmist purposes that he will walk before the Lord; that means in obedience, a life that would honor God.

               “I love the Lord; he bowed his ear,
               And chased my grief away!
               O let my heart no more despair,
               While I have breath to pray.”
                        –Isaac Watts