When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds. [Genesis 9:14 (NLT)]
When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation. [Proverbs 10:25 (NLT)]
Even though pumpkin spice lattes are available, pumpkin kringles can be found at Trader Joes, and Michael’s, Walmart, and Target are displaying their Halloween décor, here in Florida, it’s still summer and rainy season. We’re experiencing temperatures in the 90s and rain nearly every day. Sometimes, it’s a real doozy with thunder, lightning, and a torrential downpour; other times, it’s just a little drizzle. God willing, the weather should improve next month and, by the time we turn our clocks back November 1, the beautiful weather here will remind us why we moved to southwest Florida in the first place.
While we can look forward to the end of summer’s storms, I have some friends who seem caught in the stormy season of their lives. Instead of high humidity, thunder, lightning, and rainfall, they’re enduring a downpour of trouble and challenges with no end in sight. Granted, some of their storms are bigger than others (a cancer diagnosis trumps the allergic reaction to a medication), but whenever a light shower of difficulty ends, a hailstorm of challenges isn’t far behind! Like a flash of lightning, some sort of emotional, physical, or financial trial appears whenever the sky seems to clear. While the calendar tells me that summer rains and hurricane season soon will come to an end, they have no calendar telling them when their stormy season will stop.
Although their troubles rain down on them nearly continuously, their misfortunes seem to run off them like water off a duck’s back. Challenges that would sink many others have little effect on them; persevering, they just keep paddling along. What differentiates them from other people who seem to sink in just a small downpour of trouble?
The difference, of course, is that they are Christ followers and God’s power sustains them and works through them. They receive strength from Him daily. While they pray their season of trouble soon will end, they know that God’s plans for them are good. Even if the storm doesn’t end in this lifetime, they have hope because they’re confident in the shalom that awaits them in the next. Because of their deep and abiding faith in a loving God, Christ’s followers don’t have to wait for the season to change to see a rainbow in the midst of the storm.
There is only one secure foundation: a genuine, deep relationship with Jesus Christ, which will carry you through any and all turmoil. No matter what storms are raging around, you’ll still stand firm if you stand on His love. [Charles Stanley]
According to Bible Gateway, the six verses of the 23rd Psalm are the most popular ones on their site, with verses 4 and 6 usually vying for first place. The seventh most popular verse, however, is today’s verse, Jeremiah 29:11. When people are going through hard times, this is the kind of verse that gets pulled out to reassure them that everything will turn out right.
Last Monday, I referenced an article in Christianity Today by theology teacher Jared Dodson whose students wanted to know “when bad people will get what they deserve.” Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that bad people will get what they deserve while on this side of the grass. Nevertheless, if they don’t repent and follow Jesus, those people eventually will get their comeuppance. Scripture makes it clear that those who don’t know God and follow the gospel of Jesus “will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.” [2 Thes 1:8-9]
Like many of the psalms, Psalm 136 opens with words of thanksgiving. Beginning with creation, this beautiful psalm reviews God’s goodness in regard to his people and encourages them to praise Him for his merciful and steadfast love. Where it differs from the other psalms of thanksgiving is that every line is followed by a refrain of “His faithful love endures forever.” From those first three verses, it continues giving thanks “to him who alone does mighty miracles. … who made the heavens so skillfully. … who placed the earth among the waters. … who made the heavenly lights … the sun to rule the day… and the moon and stars to rule the night,” with its refrain following each verse. The next 13 verses recount Israel’s’ history…bringing them out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea, leading his people through the wilderness, defeating Pharaoh’s army, striking down powerful kings, and giving the land to Israel. Psalm 136 tells us that life is neither random nor meaningless; we are not here accidentally. Our lives are meticulously planned and intelligently designed.
Since her church attendance is limited to Christmas and Easter, with an occasional funeral or wedding thrown in, a neighbor describes herself as being a “Birth and Resurrectionist.” People like her are often categorized as “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christians. Granted, church attendance is not the litmus test for Christianity. Nevertheless, lack of church attendance indicates a lack of commitment and a token or non-practicing faith. While such people identify as “Christians,” their Christianity is a more a matter of culture, habit, or tradition than one of faith, creed, and rebirth.
Wearing a stuffed backpack and carrying his Teddy bear, little Tommy walked past his neighbor’s house. A short while later, he walked by her house in the same direction. He disappeared around the corner only to reappear several minutes later. As he was passing her house for the fourth time, the neighbor asked him what he was doing. When Tommy explained he was running away, she asked why he was only circling the block. “Because I’m not allowed to cross the street!”
