Beyond The Storm
You are a caretaker of what God has given you to watch over. Our kingdom identity is connected to how we are called to steward the gifts that God has given us individually.
“Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. The water receded steadily from the earth…After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground…When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth…Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you…so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it…then Noah built an altar to the Lord. Genesis 8:2-3, 6, 8, 11, 16-17, 20
The dove has become a symbol of hope. It represents that times of trouble will not last and a time of promise will come. What did Noah do when the prayers of the people were answered and they finally landed on dry ground? He stopped to give thanks, appreciating God for what He had done and for the work He had given Noah to do.
How are you looking at the responsibilities or work in your life? Is your daily work a gift from God or are you just eager for the weekend escape from work? The work does not change, but the freedom in your heart can if you change the way you think.
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!…When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:”
Psalms 8:1, 3-6
Before David began to care for the work he was given he paused to acknowledge the beauty of creation and how God had cared for him. Do you have margin in your day to praise God?
God puts a crown above each of our heads and calls us to be like Him. We rule through how we serve and care for others. Looking back, how has God cared for you? Where or who is God calling you to care for today?
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me…When there were no watery depths, I was given birth…I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind…Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life”
Proverbs 8:17, 24, 27, 30-32, 34-35
Each one of us have a spirit that comes from God and is meant to live in connection with Him. When Solomon says you will be blessed, it is better understood that you will find what your soul needs the most when you listen to the one who knows you and made you. Can you hear His voice? Do you sense a void in your life that only God can fill? Do you long for greater intimacy with God?
"Do not fear what they fear…The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear” Isaiah 8:12-13
Considering the work we have to do as part of God's plan can help us gain a different perspective. We realize whose voice matters and how to look at the work we are given. Fear is not a healthy way to make decisions. The fear in this passage of Isaiah is better understood as reverence , awe and wonder of how great and powerful God is. This fear reminds us not to listen to the temporary cries of culture that react to the here and now, rather we are to walk in humility as we listen to the creator of all. What fear have you listened to that is not from God? What fears are on your heart today? Where is God seeking to remind you of his majesty?
“Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:24-27
Surely Noah must have been afraid when he was on a boat and saw nothing but water. We are very limited in how we understand the circumstances we face and how we our lives fit into God’s plan and God's timing. What would happen if we grabbed hold of the truth that Jesus is the savior and He can calm any storm that we will face or are currently enduring?
When He answers our prayers, will we be like Noah and take the time to give thanks? Will we respond by appreciating the work of our hands and opportunity to be caretakers of the world we live in? Do we live to glorify God through our work? It is time to bow our knees and embrace the crown that God is putting on your head as He calls you to rule with grace, mercy, hope and love to all those you have the privilege of serving.