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?