Prepare for the Storm; Expect the Rainbow Part 3

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Storms have come, are coming, and will continue to come because we live in a fallen world.  If we have gathered and placed provisions in the ark of our relationship with the Lord, we can ride out the storm.  I am sure that Noah’s ride on the ark was uncomfortable at best, but he was looking beyond the flood to the rainbow.  

Likewise, we must look beyond our circumstances to our hope.  We must expect the rainbow to come after the storm.  I have learned to ask God for discernment to recognize the blessings because they seldom come in the form I have imagined.  

We must remember Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Grammatically speaking, that sentence is written in perfect tense.  That means it has already been accomplished.  Before the creation, God had already set in order our victory. 

Romans 8:28 assures us of the blessings that come when we navigate the vicissitudes of life holding the hand of our God. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” 

Returning to Genesis 8:12-16:  And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.'' 

Because we are descendants of Noah, that covenant belongs to us as well.   

Scientifically, we know about rainbows.  We know that droplets of water can act as prisms and bend the rays of light so that all seven colors are visible.  Let’s analyze the rainbow spiritually.  Although we generally see only one arc of the rainbow, the rainbow is actually a circle.  It is a perfect shape, without beginning for end.  It is a picture of the infinity of God who is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. 

Once when I was on a flight overseas, the pilot spoke over the intercom and literally commanded us to open the window shades and see the view.  We were above a rainbow and could see the circle in its entirety.  We spontaneously began clapping and cheering. People were shouting hallelujah and amen. 

We can see 7 colors in the rainbow.  Isaiah 11:2-3 describes the 7 spirits of God. We see the number 7 repeated many times in scripture.  7 is the number of perfection, of completion. 7 is the number of God who is perfect, who is complete.  The old hymn says it so well.  “Jesus is all I need.” 

 In Ecclesiastes 3:11, Solomon reminds us that God has made all things beautiful in His time.  Beautiful is not a synonym for pretty.   “Beautiful” actually means full of goodness.  We must pray for the discernment to see the goodness of God even as we prepare for the storms of life, even as we walk hand in hand through the storms, and especially after the storms. 

In this world, we will have storms.  We must prepare for those storms. Walking in the truth of the Lord, we can weather the storms.  We must knowingly expect and discern the goodness of God that is promised in the rainbow. 

In spite of all the problems in this world and in our personal lives, in spite of the fear mongers who surround us, this is the day the Lord has made.  Armed with the knowledge of Who God is and what He has promised, we can rejoice and be glad in it. 

And all God's people said, "Amen."

 Prepare for the Storm; Expect the Rainbow Part 2

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” 

Accepting Jesus opens the door for some awesome changes in our life.  Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

The foundation of that change is a change of mind.  Proverbs 23:7 “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What are we thinking? What is our self talk about?  

The Word of the Lord in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  The operative word here is “let”.  We must allow; we must choose to have the mind of Christ.   

Not only can we choose the mind of Christ, we can walk in the mind of Christ.  2 Corinthians10:5: “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 

Yes, we can control what we think.  Yes, we must be willing to do it.   

To walk in the mind of Christ, we must grow in our knowledge of God.  We must know, truly know, down in the depths of our being that God is good and that He wants the best for us.  God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel.  Romans 11:24 tells us that we as Christians have been crafted into the olive tree of Israel. What God spoke then to Israel, He is speaking to us today.  Jeremiah 29:11” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

In Him, we can have peace, a future and a hope.  Before the storm, during the storm and after the storm. 

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.''   When we are walking in the mind of Christ, in the midst of the storm, God will quiet us in HIs love. He will sing heavenly lullabies over us.  

A deep understanding of the Father love of God for His children is a provision that we must put into our storehouse in preparation for the storms. Fear is a major storm.  Fear is likewise a sin.  God is love and perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) 

Provision for the casting out of fear, anguish, doubt and unbelief is found in Psalm 119:11: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” 

How do we hide His word in our hearts? 

Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 

We need to hear the Word.  We hear what we listen to.  We can listen in church, on the radio, on podcasts, in Bible study.  I found that one of the best ways for me to hear the Word is for me to listen when I speak the Word.  

The Word of God contains over 7000 promises.  Choose the promises that touch you and hide them in your heart.  Those promises will sustain you through the storms that surround you.  Faith in the promises of God, diminishes the fear of the moment and the dread of the unknown. 

Paul was in a dungeon when he wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” 

Horatio Spafford wrote “It Is Well with My Soul” after his four daughters had drowned when their ocean liner sank in the middle of the Atlantic. 

Thomas A. Dorsey wrote “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” after his wife had died in childbirth. 

Along with the Word of God, we must hide in our hearts precious memories.  The more we remember and are thankful for our blessings, the less impact the storms will have on our lives.  The more we embrace the good, the more we can endure the not so good.  Misery loves company, but it is unproductive. 

Storms have come, are coming, and will continue to come because we live in a fallen world.  If we have gathered and placed provisions in the ark of our relationship with the Lord, we can ride out the storm.  I am sure that Noah’s ride on the ark was uncomfortable at best, but he was looking beyond the flood to the rainbow.  

 Prepare for the Storm; Expect the Rainbow  Part 1

By Reverend Lonnie C. Crowe 

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come before You eager to hear, eager to learn and eager to grow.  We thank you, Father, for You are eager to speak, eager to teach and eager to nurture.  Hallelujah.  We have come together.  Amen and amen. 

The path we take through the storm determines our appreciation of the rainbow. Our path through the storm is a matter of free will.  Robert Frost chose the less traveled path, and that made all the difference. Walking that less traveled path requires some effort on our part.  John 16:33 says, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'' 

In this world we will have tribulation.  We will walk through some storms.  When we know storms are coming in the natural world, we are wise to make some preparations.  A few years ago, a major storm had been forecast for our area.  As I was fueling my vehicle, I was watching people coming out of Thriftway with storm provisions such as bread, milk and eggs.  One gentleman came out with 2 cases of beer and a carton of cigarettes.  Some of us are trying to get through the storms of life with the spiritual equivalent of 2 cases of beer and a carton of cigarettes. 

The most severe storm in creation is detailed in Genesis 6:13-22 “And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. and you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them. Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” 

First of all, Noah had to build the ark, the place of safety.  Noah had the ark.  We have the cross.  Jesus is our ark.  Because of His sacrifice on the cross, when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, Jesus has cleared the pathway so that we can come boldly to the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

Then Noah had to load provisions not only for 8 people but also for all those animals.  He didn’t know exactly how long he and his family would be on that ark, but he loaded provisions in faith that God would see him through. 

Our provisions for the storms of life are found in God’s instructions, in His Holy Word. 

Our first provision is in our relationship with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus.  Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  

Let’s inventory our first provision:  Do we understand that sin has separated us from God?  Do we know that that God the Father offered His beloved Son to pay the price for our sin?  Do we believe, without a doubt, that Jesus died, rose again and is coming back to receive His own? 

Have we accepted God’s gift of grace?  Are we choosing to enter our Ark? 

• Jo John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me ha has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” 

Accepting Jesus opens the door for some awesome changes in our life.  Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

The foundation of that change is a change of mind.  Proverbs 23:7 “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What are we thinking? What is our self talk about?