Date: Thursday July 26, 2012
Today's Chapters: Isaiah 22-25
Message Title: Weathering The Storms

Hello My Friend,

Whether we are Christians or not, storms of life are something we all have to deal with, we cannot avoid them, we cannot run from them, we do not have to fear them, but we do have to face them. The difference between the person who is a Christian and one who is not, we have Christ to help us weather the storms. There is no better comfort than in the Savior, Jesus is right there with those who believed and accepted Him into their lives. He gives peace through every storm to those who have faith in Him, even when that faith is minimal. He never leaves us and is closer than we think, all we need to do to find Him is call His name. “And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.” - Luke 8:24.

Tyre, an ancient wealthy city, situated upon the sea, and for many ages was one of the most celebrated cities for trade and merchandise in those parts of the world. Through Isaiah, God foretold of both the destruction of Tyre and of it's restoration. “Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.” - Isaiah 23:2-5,17,18.

Interestingly, when things are going well we tend to lose sight of God, not in a sense that we have forgotten Him, but that we do not need His help. Can I tell you that, whether the storms of life are raging or calm we always need God's help. God blesses us with the ability to prosper in a world full of heathens, but if we are not careful we can forget that it is all from God and He can take it faster than a storm that rolls through. However, when we seek God's help all the time that is when our prosperity is holiness to the Lord and He gives back to us what He has taken away, and then some. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.” - Proverbs 28:13,14.

God created the earth in six days, before He created it it was dark, depressing, and had no life to it, just as all the other planets in the universe. Each day that goes by the earth is quickly turning back into that dark and depressing place and will have no life to it, no amount of money or possessions will change that fact. Through Isaiah, God gives us a grim glimpse of what is to come of the beautiful world He created due to the sin and corruption in it. “The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.” - Isaiah 24:3-5,18.

When Jesus returns this earth will be completely destroyed, becoming utterly desolate and empty, every person who has not received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior will be cast into the pit, along with the devil and all his evil counterparts. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” - Revelation 12:10,11,20:10.

It is a bit scary to see the many prophecies of Isaiah taking place today, but we have nothing to worry about because we are God's kids. Isaiah lived through the destruction of Jerusalem when they were taken captive to Babylon, but he never feared what was going to happen because he knew he was saved. “Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” - Isaiah 25:3,4,8,9.

The storms of God;s judgment upon the earth are here and they are going to get worse, we do not have to fear them, we just need to trust in our Savior, He will calm them and just as every storm will come to pass, so will these. While we cannot avoid them we can find peace through them as we look to Jesus. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:” - Hebrews 12:1,2,27,28.

Today's Prayer: God, In the midst of storms it is easy to turn to You for help, but when things are calm we can lose sight of You. Lord, thank You for helping us endure and bring to pass every storm in our lives. Keep us looking to You, through the calm or raging storms, let us not cease from every opportunity to reach the lost with the Gospel and give us the peace that passes all understanding. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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