When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm
forever. ~Proverbs 10:25
A little while and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, you will not find them. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. ~Psalm 37:10-11
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ~Matthew 5:5
When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground. You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies.” ~Psalm 73: 17-19
What a comfort these thoughts are. I know that yesterday, we talked about how we are all sinners and those who accept Christ are saved by grace, but we must acknowledge that there are those who refuse to listen. We do live in discouraging times. It has been that way since Adam, but today, with 24-7 news feeds and social media, our awareness of the evil that surrounds us can seem, at times, inescapable. The word “sanctuary,” becomes so much more meaningful, as one of the only places where we can find peace.
Storms, storms are powerful things. There are sudden tornados, there are more predictable but long-lasting hurricanes, and cyclones. They are all powerful, many are damaging, but have you noticed that afterwards, there is peace?
Storms in our lives can be powerful too, and frightening and uncomfortable. God uses those storms to remove the evil from us and bring us His peace. The comfort is that while in the physical world, storms seem indiscriminate, destroying everything in their path, our heavenly Father uses the storms in our lives to accomplish His purpose. When the storm has passed, we will stand because we are on His rock-solid foundation, but the evil within us will be dealt with, when we let it be blown away.
This one is hard for me. I’d like to find a personal example, but nothing is coming to mind. Oh, it’s not that I haven’t experienced lots of storms. It’s just that, for now, I can’t remember one that I’m glad I went through because I was better in the end and I saw that the wicked were swept away. I can’t remember experiencing that. I mostly remember moving along, accepting the situation and making the best of the circumstances.
The story of Job takes 42 chapters. It is not until chapter 42 that the storm passes, and Job is vindicated in front of his “friends,” who are instructed by God to ask righteous Job to pray for them so their sins may be forgiven. Up to chapter 42, Job just did the best he could to hang on to faith and hope, with no end of suffering in sight. Here is what I am getting at. In a way, since I have not yet seen the true peace after the storms of life, maybe I am only up to chapter 25 or 33 in my story, with no end of suffering in sight. But by faith in God’s Word, and by Job’s example, I know there lies before me that day when all the clouds will really, finally clear away and I will begin to really enjoy that eternal shalom, with no enemies in sight, none left to trouble me. Oh, how I long for that day to come now! But until then, I will take comfort in God’s promise that it WILL come.
Prayer: Father help me to trust and believe in You, that You make all things right in the end and everything in between is working out for my good because you are so perfect and glorious! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: I’ll Praise You In The Storm
A little while and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, you will not find them. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. ~Psalm 37:10-11
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ~Matthew 5:5
When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground. You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies.” ~Psalm 73: 17-19
What a comfort these thoughts are. I know that yesterday, we talked about how we are all sinners and those who accept Christ are saved by grace, but we must acknowledge that there are those who refuse to listen. We do live in discouraging times. It has been that way since Adam, but today, with 24-7 news feeds and social media, our awareness of the evil that surrounds us can seem, at times, inescapable. The word “sanctuary,” becomes so much more meaningful, as one of the only places where we can find peace.
Storms, storms are powerful things. There are sudden tornados, there are more predictable but long-lasting hurricanes, and cyclones. They are all powerful, many are damaging, but have you noticed that afterwards, there is peace?
Storms in our lives can be powerful too, and frightening and uncomfortable. God uses those storms to remove the evil from us and bring us His peace. The comfort is that while in the physical world, storms seem indiscriminate, destroying everything in their path, our heavenly Father uses the storms in our lives to accomplish His purpose. When the storm has passed, we will stand because we are on His rock-solid foundation, but the evil within us will be dealt with, when we let it be blown away.
This one is hard for me. I’d like to find a personal example, but nothing is coming to mind. Oh, it’s not that I haven’t experienced lots of storms. It’s just that, for now, I can’t remember one that I’m glad I went through because I was better in the end and I saw that the wicked were swept away. I can’t remember experiencing that. I mostly remember moving along, accepting the situation and making the best of the circumstances.
The story of Job takes 42 chapters. It is not until chapter 42 that the storm passes, and Job is vindicated in front of his “friends,” who are instructed by God to ask righteous Job to pray for them so their sins may be forgiven. Up to chapter 42, Job just did the best he could to hang on to faith and hope, with no end of suffering in sight. Here is what I am getting at. In a way, since I have not yet seen the true peace after the storms of life, maybe I am only up to chapter 25 or 33 in my story, with no end of suffering in sight. But by faith in God’s Word, and by Job’s example, I know there lies before me that day when all the clouds will really, finally clear away and I will begin to really enjoy that eternal shalom, with no enemies in sight, none left to trouble me. Oh, how I long for that day to come now! But until then, I will take comfort in God’s promise that it WILL come.
Prayer: Father help me to trust and believe in You, that You make all things right in the end and everything in between is working out for my good because you are so perfect and glorious! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: I’ll Praise You In The Storm
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