God of the Storm

In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:  in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.  Psalm 27:5


     For many years now our church has had a booth at our county fair.  It is the first booth passed by people who enter the main gate.  It is a sucker pull.  Pick out a sucker, pull it out and see if there is a color on the bottom of the stick.  If there is, you get a glow bracelet.  If not, you win the sucker you pulled.  We enjoy doing it.  The days are hot and long; but, we meet hundreds of wonderful people out for a good time at the fair.

     Every year that we have done this, our booth has been blown down in a storm.  If the storm is during the daytime, workers take refuge in the booth and, hopefully, keep it from collapsing.  If it is at night, the booth is reassembled the next day.

     The booth is frail and gives very little protection.  God, on the other hand, is God of the storm.  Furthermore, life is made up of storms.  You are probably either entering a storm, in the midst of a storm or a storm is leaving you in its wake.  Where do you take refuge in the storms of life?  They are going to be there, either coming or going.  What is your defense against the storms of life?  Whether they are physical or spiritual, remember that God is the God of the storm.  He will shelter you and keep you close by his side.

God's Gifts To You

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11,12 NLT


Have you ever heard the saying that most Christians go home after church and have roasted Preacher for lunch? It is a sad fact that this is often true. People, whether they realize it or not, are evaluating how well they think the pastor is using the gifts that God has given him.


The New Living Translation of the Bible gives a slightly different read on a familiar passage of scripture. Here, Paul points out that these people, themselves, are gifts to the body of Christ. It is not that God gives these people gifts (although he certainly can), it is that the people are gifts to the believers. 


Do you think of your Pastor as a gift that God has given you? What about your Sunday School teachers, Music Ministers or your Host Home hosts? When we are given gifts, we are expected to say 'Thank you.' Do you thank God for these people whose responsibility is to build you up in Christ? Start thanking God for the workers who serve you. They are God's gift to you.