The Storm, the World & Perseverance
Tikkun Global
Jerusalem, Israel
Around the world today we see storms, earthquakes, and floods. We also see storms in people’s lives, ministries, and congregations. How do we respond and walk with the Lord in the midst of the storm?
In Jonah’s case, the tempest came because he sinned. He was running away from God. Sometimes you can’t rebuke the storm or bind it, because you’re going in the wrong direction.
Yeshua encountered a different kind of storm when crossing the Sea of Galilee with His disciples to cast out demons from the Gadarene demoniac. There, supernatural power was needed to bind the winds and cast out demons. Jonah was dealing with his flesh; Yeshua was dealing with the Devil.
The third storm came when the Apostle Paul (Shaul) was being sent to Rome. In this case he was on a mission, and the world was attacking him.
In Matthew 24, Yeshua gives the context for all these End Time storms that we’re in right now. Our main principle is in verse 13, “But he who endures to the end will be saved.” In some storms of opposition, you just have to hold on and persevere till the end.
God sent the Apostle Paul, like all of us, on a mission. His was to go to Rome to preach the kingdom of God. On the way, he encountered a big storm (Acts 27 and 28). This is the main kind of storm that believers in Yeshua serving the Lord will experience. It's not usually because we’ve sinned, or because we’re threatening the kingdom of darkness at the level of Yeshua. We’re doing what God’s called us to do, and there’s just a lot of opposition from the world around us. Peter said, “Don't be surprised when these kinds of things happen to you.” It’s obvious; we have to learn how to push through, focus on what God told us to do, keep our eyes on Yeshua, and continue walking.
We have a purpose. We don’t just get saved and wait to get taken out of here. God gives every person a calling, a life destiny. When we join together to serve Him, He gives us a mission. He sends us to do something, and we want to go and accomplish it. Be strong despite the storms. They will surely come, and they’re going to get a lot worse.
The particular mission that Paul was on began in Acts 23. Paul wasn’t really interested in going to Rome. He wanted to preach in Jerusalem. He had a huge crowd of ultra-Orthodox there and barely got out alive. Some people interpret that to mean he did the wrong thing. However, that’s not true. Yeshua appeared to Paul right after he got beaten up, thrown out, and arrested. At the time it seemed to have been a big disaster with everything going wrong. “‘But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul. For as you have testified of Me in Jerusalem, so must you also bear witness to Me in Rome’” (Acts 23:11).
Then the storm came in Acts 27. The sailors lost hope, but Paul took heart. Yeshua had told him he would bear witness in Rome. They survived the storm and found safety on the island of Malta. The islanders even received a revival of repentance. The storms and opposition were turned into a blessing.
It doesn’t take eyes of faith to see the storm, to see what’s wrong. It takes eyes of faith to be able to see what’s right. We have a bigger God; He’s in control; He’s good; He’s for us, and we’re serving him. It’s all going to work out!
