For Praise Thursday here on the Afternoon Drive, we finished up our series from the book “Can God Be Trusted in Our Trials” from Dr. Tony Evans.
We started by recaping last week’s talk on the men who built their houses – one on the firm foundation and one without a firm foundation.
Here’s the bottom line…
The storm that battered the two houses in Jesus’s story did not determine the two men’s foundations, it only exposed them. This storm wasn’t a summer shower. The rains and wind blew hard enough to knock down a house. This was the kind of storm that breaks windows, and makes the roof lift and heave. When you encounter a storm like this, you’d better have the right foundation.
If Jesus is your foundation, you’ll be able to withstand the storm. But let me tell you a secret… IF He isn’t your foundation, you need to get started pouring a new one today, because you can’t lay a foundation when it’s pouring rain. You can pour a solid foundation before or after a storm, but not during. The middle of a crisis is a terrible time to discover that your house is shaking and shuddering as the foundation washes away.
Jesus is there. No Matter What.
Someone may be saying today, “Well, I thought Jesus was my foundation. But I’m not so sure right now, because I’m being battered by this trial, and it feels like my life is going to give way under me. I’m scared to death, in fact, to be really honest, I’ve kind of been wondering if Jesus really knows what I’m going through.”
If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re certainly not alone.
Many Christians have had the same questions in the storm, which is why we’re going to visit Mark 4:35-41.
Jesus put the disciples in a boat and said “Let us go over to the other side” meaning, the other side of the sea of Galilee. They were in trouble. The greek word for this storm emphasises just how out of nowhere this storm was.
Now, the disciples were experienced on the water, but this time, they panicked. They began bailing water until they remembered that Jesus was with them. The disciples were upset when they saw that Jesus was asleep, so they woke him saying “Do you not care that we are perishing?”
We can sit in church and sing that old hymn that asks “Does Jesus Care?” about the things that happen to us? That hymn gives us the resounding answer of ‘O yes, He cares, I know He cares.” But when your house is being battered, or your boat is filling, the temptation is to say “Hello? Anyone out there? Jesus, if you really cared about me, You’d be doing something. I’m here bailing and you’re sleeping.
GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU.
Jesus got up and stilled the storm. That was the EASY part. Then He turned to the 12 and said “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
Now those questions might seem harsh, considering their current reality, but He said that because His men had forgotten what He said at the beginning of the journey: “Let us go over to the other side.”
We might overlook that sentence, but it’s important. This let’s us know that Jesus didn’t intend for His disciples to get half way across the sea only to drown, and He doesn’t intend for that to happen with us, His disciples, now either.
The twelve for sure heard Jesus say this, but in the middle of their crisis, they forgot.
The Word was not abiding in them. The storm was now determining their theology. Jesus cared deeply about them, but they had lost sight of that fact.
When you’re drowning in the storms of life, remember what Jesus said.
Whenever it looks like God has gone to sleep on you, know that He has a purpose in mind. He hasn’t forgotten where you are and He hasn’t stopped caring.
He wants to see what you’re going to do with His word when the storm hits.
Make no mistake. It’s GOING to rain. The Word tells us that. The storms will come. It’s been aptly said that you’re either coming out of a storm, heading into a storm, or coming out of one. It IS going to rain. After Jesus stilled the storm, the disciples became afraid of Him. That’s okay. If you’re going to fear something, fear Jesus. Not the wind or the rain.
Did Jesus know the storm was coming? Of course He did. Did He send it to the disciples on purpose? Uh, yeah. Why? Well, to teach them the same lesson that we seem to need to learn over and over again. When you have Jesus, you have a foundation that is built with the storms of life in mind. Nothing suprises or overwhelms Him. With Jesus as the foundation of your life, you can endure the batterings that life brings. Nothing can capsize your boat when Jesus is in it.
God has already determined what is going to come your way, and He is sufficient for it. But you must learn to absorb and apply His word. God has been truthful in telling us that the trials are sure to come. And He has given us everything we need in His word and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to bring that word to our rememberance and help us apply it.
Tony Evans talked about how he had one of those punching bags when he was a kid. No matter how had he punched it, it would keep coming right back up because it was well anchored at the bottom. It had a foundation that was stronger than his hardest punch.
Sometimes, life is going to hit you with a balled-up fist and you may sway. But if Jesus and His word are your anchor, your foundation, you are going to come back. Sometimes satan is going to hit you, but if Christ and His word are your foundation, you will come back even though you may rock a little bit. How do we know? Because the scriptures tell us… “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
Thanks for listening!
-Lilly and Todd
Driving Notes 