“Through the Storms” 

In his book, “Fearless,” Max Lucado shares about sitting in his cardiologist’s office while waiting for the results of a battery of tests on his heart which, in his words, had been misbehaving. It was disconcerting, waiting there by himself for the doctor to come in. And so, while he waited, Max Lucado says he began to notice his doctor’s “abundant harvest of diplomas” hanging from the walls. There was a degree from this university. There was another degree from a residency. It was a very impressive wall of credentials. He said, “The more I looked at his accomplishments, the better I felt.” He thought, “I’m in good hands.” 

About the time he began to relax bit, a nurse came in and handed him a sheet of paper that summarized his heart condition. He says he lowered his gaze from his doctor’s diplomas and began focusing on all sorts of ominous words summarizing his disorder. He locked in on the words that said, “atrial fibrillation,” “arrhythmia,” “embolic stroke,” and a “blood clot.” As he focused on these words, he began to sink in his seat. Max Lucado writes, “What happened to my peace? I was feeling much better a moment ago. So, I changed strategies. I counteracted diagnosis with diplomas. In between paragraphs of bad news, I looked to the wall for reminders of good news.” He said, “That’s what God wants us to do.” He wants us to remember, we are in good hands! Max Lucado added, “Whether or not storms come, we cannot choose. But, where we stare during a storm, that we can!”

Friends, where we stare, or on whom we focus will make all the difference in dealing with the storms of life. Because, when we focus on Jesus Christ, and what he did on the cross, we remember that we are in good hands! Even through the storms of life, God’s purpose for us will always be accomplished. You see, underneath the waves is always the love of Jesus Christ, our Savior and shelter through the storms!

On Sunday, I am going to be talking about another storm that a man named Jonah found himself in, as I continue my sermon series on “The Bible You Thought You Knew.” Once again, we will be in person outside at 8:00 am on the FLC lawn (inside the sanctuary if it rains). If you attend at 8:00 am, you will be able to sit in your car and listen via the FM transmitter on 102.1. At 10:30 am, we will be in the sanctuary, while also broadcasting on Zoom, Facebook Live, and Youtube. Our apologies for the technical glitches at 10:30 last week. They have been rectified, and we should be fine this Sunday.  

Pastor John

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