How To Take Refuge In A Troubled World

Does it seem like your world is falling apart around you? Here’s what to do when your world comes crashing down.

Gathering Storm

If I were to speak about the U.S. debt and the economic and financial storm that is brewing, you might easily grow depressed, but we have a sure and certain anchor of our soul, and that is our faith in Christ. When you’re on solid rock and a storm’s coming, sand is nowhere to stand. Jesus said as much when He said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt 7:24), and when the storms come, the sand castles will all be swept away, but the Rock upon which our faith is based, will remain. Jesus then said, “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matt 7:25). So it will be with “everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matt 7:26). Remember, Jesus once sent the disciples off into a storm, but He was with them in the storm. He didn’t take them around it, over it, or under it, but He went through it with them, and He will do the same with us! Praise God for His faithfulness. His love endures forever (Psalm 107:1).

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.

Worry

Worry is said to be borrowing trouble from tomorrow but paying for it today. We worry about things before they even get here, and that worry robs our joy today over things that happen tomorrow, that is, if they do happen, so as we can see, worry doesn’t change anything. Worry only changes us, and for the worse! Jesus asked, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life” (Matt 6:27)? I would imagine none of us can add a single hour, but on the contrary, we can take away an hour or more from our life because worry can destroy our health and weaken our immune system. Again, Jesus tells us to “not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all” (Matt 6:31-32). God knows what tomorrow brings. We don’t. If we worry, we show God we don’t trust Him and are saying, “God, I’m going to worry because I’m not sure you can take care of tomorrow.” You might not say it with words, but worry speaks loudly to God. The opposite of trust is worry, and worry erodes our faith, so why worry? The late Dr. Adrian Rogers said we worry about things of which 85% never come to pass, and the other 15% we cannot change, so why worry about something we can’t change and only God can?

Storms

What is the storm you’re in right now? One old pastor said, “You’re either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or getting ready to go into a storm,” and he’s right. Everyone experiences times of trouble and conflict. It might be a destroyed relationship you’ve had, it might be a financial catastrophe you’re facing, or it might be a health issue where the future seems uncertain. It could even be all three! One thing is certain. God’s got this. Nothing happens outside of the will of God, and whatever happens, has God’s promise that it will all work out for our best (Rom 8:28). Since God was able to use the evil done to Joseph for much good (Gen 50:20), and He can do the same with your life. God has a purpose in our pain. It isn’t wasted. It’s meant to make us trust Him more because when our backs are against the wall, we have nowhere else to turn. When all seems lost, come to the Lord. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30). Step one: come to the Savior. Step two: take Jesus’ yoke: Step three: Learn from the Savior (in His Word), and Step four: (the easy part) rest! What you can’t handle, God can, and what is there that can God cannot handle? Many don’t want to trouble God with “small things,” but isn’t everything small to God? And if it’s a small detail, He knows it, and it’s not minor to Him. Slay the worry…trust in Him, and you shall not be disappointed.

Walking on Water

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

When the Apostle Peter asked Jesus if he could come out to meet Him as our Lord walked on water, give Peter some credit. He did manage to walk on water, at least for a time (Matt 14:29), so what was the problem? Why did he begin to sink? He took his eyes off of Jesus and fixed them on the water and the waves. When Peter “saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me” (Matt 14:30). If we can only fix our eyes on Jesus, we can be looking at Him and not the water and the waves, and when we are afraid, we can cry out, “Lord, save me.” Can we stop the wind and the waves by looking at them? No. Won’t we begin to sink too if we only look at circumstances? Remember, the One Who created the storm can also calm the storm. He is sovereign over all the storms, and even the Devil is God’s Devil. I would rather trust Him Who I cannot see than to trust that which I do see here on earth. One is eternal and omnipotent (all-powerful) while the other is temporary and fleeting. God does not forsake or leave His own (Heb 13:5), period!

Conclusion

If you’re in a storm right now, look at Jesus, and believe that He can do anything at all. Walking on water is nothing to Him, so why do we worry about things that are easier to do than that? Walking on water is something I can’t do, but if I trusted Jesus enough and looked at Him more than anything, who knows? The point is, it’s all about trust, and I trust God more than what I can see with my own eyes.

Here is some related reading for you: Call on God for Help in Desperate Times

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible : English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Problems, Trials, Trouble