When morning dawned, they didn't recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart. Acts 27:39-41
A video depicting the full events of Acts 27 is found at the bottom of this post.
Paul was called to preach to the gentiles and kings; all over Israel and in Rome (Acts 9:15 &16, 19:21). But he wouldn’t do these things in the manner he likely expected. As we’ll see below, he’d endure much hardship in the midst of fulfilling this call.
Saints, this brings us to a dangerous misnomer; a lie that continues to stifle the body of Christ that says ease and comfort are hallmarks of the Christian life and confirmation of our call. This is in stark contrast to what the Word says and the experience of most early Christians. And likely even most modern Christians!
So what does it look like if we fall for this “easy and comfortable” lie? Instead of having the right expectations that empower us to stay engaged and endure tough situations, we might find ourselves:
- Floating around on autopilot, waiting for some magical life event to interrupt our everyday and signal the ‘real’ start to our life or mission.
- Drifting with the culture current, not considering where our daily choices and defaults are really taking us in the end. We forget currents typically run downstream!
- Panicking and retreating to the comfort of the harbor when the very storms God has called us to weather, even help others in, hit.
- Staying tied to the dock altogether, on hold, awaiting precise coordinates for the entire trip and calm seas for smooth sailing as far as we can see.
But according to the Word, struggle is often the very proof we’re on the right path as the enemy tries to derail our confidence in Christ and contends to keep people in darkness; we live in a counter-culture, fallen world; and our flesh fights the things of the Spirit (Jn. 16:33; Heb. 12:4; Rom. 12:2; Jas. 1; Gal. 5:13-26). It’s a wonder why we’d think it’d be easy!
1. Storms are to be expected, not surprising. We have the power to have holy contentment, peace and joy right in the middle of them- our mindset makes all the difference! 1 Pet. 4:12, 13; Jn. 16:33 & 14:27; Phil. 4
2. Storms provide the opportunity to further rely on God and experience Him in new and greater ways, thus growing our faith, maturity, trust and endurance. 2 Cor. 1:8,9; Phil. 2:13, Jas. 1:2-4
3. God is with us in the storm. He is working all things for good according to His will and purpose. Phil 1; Rom. 8:28
4. God may have allowed the storm so you can stand as His ambassador in the situation, bringing His nature, hope, help and healing to you and others! 2 Cor. 1:3-11 and 5:20
5. Our approach to and through storms stands a witness to the world, believer and unbeliever alike. And later, they provide a powerful testimony for reference and retelling. 2 Cor. 1:1-9
I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. -2 Corinthians 11:23-27
Even in the craziest, seemingly helpless, and most confining situations, Paul continually pushes past the resistance of his circumstances. He presses forward with fortitude. And in a focused and decisive way, he ignores the natural inclinations of his flesh to ‘go with the flow,’ quit under pressure, cave to comfort, or be driven by fear.
Paul knows this is bigger than him. There’s a greater purpose at hand and he’ll have to fight hard to stay in the game. People’s eternal destinies are in the balance; and their purpose is wrapped up in him pursing his purpose:
To win the contest you must deny yourselves many thing that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I'm not just shadow-boxing or playing around. Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside. 1 Cor. 925-27 TLB
Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. Heb. 12:2 TLB
We can’t be passive. Pursuing our God-given purpose and potential takes our full participation; it takes perseverance. It takes continuously moving in faith when we don’t feel it or see results (it wouldn’t be faith if you could see it! Heb. 11:1!) It takes being uncomfortable. It takes intentionality, sacrifice, constant submission, and hard work as we see evidenced throughout the scriptures.
And don’t believe the other part of the lie, that if God really wants us to do something, He’ll make us do it or He’ll do it for us. God will not subvert our will and make us do something by force nor will He do for us what He’s called us to do for Him! He works though people! And He’s called you! Gifted you! Put people in your path for you to reach out to for Him!
TAKEAWAY
A right perspective on hardship empowers endurance. Like Paul, we can adopt a vantage point of our mission and our challenges to one that actually stimulates forward thinking and missional momentum. This mindset shift alone opens up new possibilities and creates the opportunity to see purpose and maximize potential right where we are on the way to where God has us going!
NEXT LEVEL LIVING
Prayerfully consider what God has been putting on your heart and answer the following:
- What is your typical response to ‘storms’? Where and in what ways have you been waiting for storms to pass to pursue your purpose? How has this stalled your Kingdom impact?
- Where have your daily choices brought you so far in key areas of life?
- If you changed nothing, what would the end picture of your current reality look like 1, 5, 10 years from now? How does this future reality feel to you? Is this in alignment with who God has called you to be and how you ultimately want to be remembered as?
- In what ways could this be the most opportune time to do what God has called you to do this season? How could this pandemic be a setup to prepare and propel you for greater Kingdom use?
- In what specific ways is God calling you to the next level? Where has He said “go!” but your flesh screams “no!”? In what ways might He be calling you in faith to specifically train your flesh for spiritual things?
What if… what you see as a setback is truly a setup for God to do a great work in and through you? Could God be calling you to step up and stand in a gap by starting something to address a need? Could He be trying to transition that pain into a platform that would transform lives for His glory?
Some of the most amazing organizations and ministries were started by people seeking to find answers and/or provide solutions to needs they were seeing or experiencing. That’s how Aspiring Christian started! What steps of faith can you start taking this week or even today if God says “Go!”? What steps of faithfulness can you take if God already told you to “Go!”?
STILL THIRSTY?
- Trusting God in a Storm – Tony Evans https://youtu.be/hw40v_QM6Bw (there is such a touching exchange between Evans and his father in the middle of the video. His father shares such encouraging and wise words! He even sings a short chorus of a sweet song or two lol)
- You’re Gonna Make It! – Paul Daughtery https://youtu.be/wjhDvdYCZUc
- Praying Through a Crisis – Tony Evans https://youtu.be/BSjiIVhA-IU
- Read Acts 27 and 28, so you know the story for yourself and can pass it on!
- Pass it on! Share the below video about St. Paul's experience with the kids in your life as age appropriate: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkt00DptsW0 (*please review first to ensure it's ok for your family). And depending on the age of the children in your life, you might be able to ask them some form of a few of the Next Level questions. Even if it doesn’t seem to ‘hit,’ you’re still starting the conversation and planting seeds!
Check out the Life Applications tab for the CompanionGuide to this post! It includes tips for stormy times and faith strengthening scriptures to help you walk victoriously in the midst of them!