Recently I visited a store and was excited to use a gift card I had received. After several unsuccessful attempts to complete my purchase, the cashier called the manager over for help. I followed the manager to the Customer Service area as instructed, but he was no more successful than the cashier. After calling the main office, he told me that my gift card had a zero balance because it had already been used. “But I just took it out of my wallet,” I said, “and your cashier actually scratched the security label off which revealed the pin number.” He explained that someone must have stolen the number and pin. But how, I thought; it’s been in my wallet. I was both shocked and distraught. Although this was a small storm compared to the mega storms of life, I was not at peace knowing that someone had stolen from me, or that the manager could be thinking that I was lying and trying to steal!
During one of my previous sermons, we reviewed the story found in Mark chapter 4, where Jesus calms a large storm (mega in Greek) that suddenly arises, while He’s on a boat with the disciples. We were also reminded in that message that storms (troubles) would continue to come our way. However, we could count on Jesus to be our firm Anchor. Even though Jesus immediately calmed that storm, as soon as he and His disciples arrived at the “other side,” they faced yet another storm as they were immediately met by the Demoniac. How are you weathering the storms of life? Is your Anchor in place?
The Bible says that we will go through troubles, but it also says in John 14:27, that Jesus is our peace during these troubles. God knew that we would face all sorts of troubles; stress, anxiety, hatred, etc., so He offers us a solution; He offers us Jesus. Has Jesus been calming the storms in your life? Or has He done an even greater miracle by calming your heart in the middle of the storms? As we’ve noticed, God doesn’t always remove the storm, but He will always give us peace.
One mega storm we are all facing is the second wave of COVID-19, as if one wave wasn’t enough! Many are tired, stressed and fearful, because so many have already lost their lives. Sometimes we like the disciples in the story try to weather the storms alone, relying on our own efforts, but we need to turn to Jesus quickly; this is too much! Are you relying on your own efforts today? “Absorbed in their efforts to save themselves, they had forgotten that Jesus was on board. Now, seeing their labor vain and only death before them, they remembered at whose command they had set out to cross the sea. In Jesus was their only hope.” Ellen G. White; Desire of Ages; pg. 334
Jesus is our only hope in both small and mega storms. Can you believe the store manager gave me full credit for my zero-balance gift card? I was so thankful and amazed! I don’t know why sometimes Jesus delays in the calming of our storms, but today I want to remind you that if Jesus doesn’t calm our storm, He will certainly calm our hearts!