“They that go down to the sea
in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD,
and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,
which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down
again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and
fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry
unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.” (Ps 107:23-28 AV)
There
are times when the only way we can see God’s greatness is if we are forced to
experience it. No doubt, those spoken of
in the above passage see God’s hand in ways we will never see it. There are saints whom we have the pleasure of
fellowship that have a level of faith which we cannot understand. It didn’t get that way by mere study. They didn’t simply read the word of God and accept
it as it was written. They accepted the promises
and truths of the word of God, then they became inwardly fruitful by way of
life’s experience. When they see the
word of God promise that God will supply all their need, it becomes practical
truth when they are sitting at the table with nothing to eat and God miraculously
provides their needs. They can read Solomon’s
words that he has never seen the righteous begging bread and believe it with
their whole heart. But it doesn’t become
a reality until they fill the oil tank with five gallons of fuel and have it
last a week. Faith is not something that
is mere academics. It is practical. It comes by way of hard times. It comes by way of God showing Himself in great
ways.
If
you have ever seen the program, Deadliest Catch, you know exactly what the
passage above speaks of. These men go
out on crab boats in the middle of harsh fall and early winter weather to fish
for crab. Off the Alaskan coast, they deal
with seas that turns the stomach just watching it. Sixteen-hour days in waves that crash over
the side of the ship is beyond insane.
Couple that with below freezing temperatures, ice forming on the hull,
and any number of accidents by equipment, and one would decide not to eat fresh
caught crab just to save these men from insanity. These men see the worst that weather can dish
out. They live through what most could
not. They endure because they have a
reasoned faith that in the end, they will arrive safe at harbor with the
blessings of their labor. Their faith is
placed in their Captain. He has gotten
them home safe many times and has lined their pockets with bounty. No doubt, the first few times out, they
feared for their lives. But after a
while, their faith in their captain grew.
But it can only grow if they go through the storm with the captain.
So,
too, is it with our faith. It is one
thing to read that God will take care of us.
Quite another to see that truth tested.
Testing, and living through the truth, is the only way this faith can
grow. There is no other way. Jesus repeatedly allowed His disciples to be
placed in difficult situations that He might make Himself known. The blind man born blind is a great
example. He was in that case that God
might show Himself strong. The disciples
were in storms, their lives were threatened, and they were scrambling for food. Yet, all through it, God was there and God
showed Himself great in the midst of dire needs. Maybe what we are going through is a way for
the LORD to grow our faith rather than tear us down. Perhaps, what He really wants to do is make
us strong by making us weak. I think the
apostle Paul said something to that effect.
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