Trusting God Through Life's Storms and Trials

Grand as the day was it could not come to a close without a storm after the same manner you will find it in the history of the Church of God that intermingled with great successes will be great afflictions Pentecost is followed by persecution Peter's sermon by Peter's imprisonment though today a church May flourish abundantly in a very short time it may be visited with Stern adversities it may be tried nonetheless but all the more because God is in its midst and is blessing it. [00:01:37]

Thus May our loveliest calms be succeeded by overwhelming storms a Christian man is seldom long at ease our life like April weather is made up of sunshine and showers we should suspect some danger nigh when we perceive too much delight nothing beneath the moon can be depended upon all things are invariably variable boast not your yourself of Tomorrow says the wise man and he might have added boast not yourself of today for thou knowest not how the evening May close however brightly the morning may have opened. [00:03:26]

Sometimes the complaint takes this shape God suffers natural laws to proceed in their prescribed course even when his children will be crushed by them there is a vessel out at Sea it is enveloped in dense fog prayers are offered up by Godly men on board for the right guidance of the vessel but if it continued to be steered as it now is it will come upon a rock and on a rock it does come not withstanding the prayers does not God care that a vessel should perish with people on board it who are praying for direction and deliverance. [00:06:52]

All power lies in God and a law of nature is neither more nor less than a description of the way in which the Lord usually works The Vessel badly steered strikes upon the rock because usually God causes ships to obey their Helms and rocks to retain their hardness and the man who dies of sickness does not die because of some ungovernable force in nature but because God continues to give energy to destructive agencies the laws of nature are but a powerless letter God works all things. [00:09:47]

The Lord would have his people restful and not fretful so he giveth his beloved sleep we have never read of Our Lord sleeping except on this occasion this Majestic occasion when he was asleep in a storm tossed by AR with his head on a pillow because his heart was on the bosom of God he did as well as say to all his servants rest in troubless times and leave all in the hands of him who cares for you his sleeping was an acted sermon upon let not your hearts be troubled. [00:36:17]

He wanted to show them his omnipotence but how could he do so if there were no difficulties for his divine power to encounter he had shown them how he could baffle devils and overcome disease but now he desires them to see how winds and waves are subservient to his will and so he lets loose the Raging tempests for a man to beard a chained lion is little but let the monster loose and then only a hero will encounter him the hurricane is loosed the waves are raging they Devour the bark now shall you see how great the master is as he stands at the prow and cry CRI peace be still and all is hushed beneath him. [00:38:14]

When Jesus was awakened he was not angry he might have walked away from his disciples if he had pleased it was quite in his power to Traverse the Billows and to have left them in disgust and after the hard things we have said and thought of God he might leave us to perish if he would but he will do no such thing Jesus did not reject the Unworthy prayers of his feeble followers he might have taken umbrage and have said is that what you think of me is this the way in which you speak of me but not thus did he upbraid them he did check them gently out of very love to them but there was no anger he accepted their prayers and he awoke and what an awaking it was how Mighty were his works. [00:39:32]

Troubled one you will enjoy calm yet poor tried and tempted child of God you will see days in which you will wonder where your troubles are you will say to yourself they are quite gone I have nothing left to be troubled with Christ has chased my griefs away perhaps you will henceforth enjoy a long unbroken calm not an ordinary one but such a calm so deep so profound that you will say to yourself it is worthwhile to have gone through a storm to enter upon a peace like this after traversing the Wilderness you will enter Canan the angels will visit you when the Devils have ended their Temptation you will leave the battlefield for the land of buer where you shall hear the choirs of Heaven sing and the angels will bring you spices from The Gardens of the Blessed. [00:40:41]

He who has faith is insured against destruction wait on the Lord even if the vision T and fair sunlight and smooth sailing shall be your reward I shall leave the subject when I have hinted at its application in two ways the first is this I think this is very applicable to the state of the church at this present time there is great trouble in some Minds about the church for everything is going badly all things are in commotion the signs of the times are dark to me the worst trouble is that Jesus seems to be asleep there is nothing doing no great Revival of faith and but little power with the ministry I am however comforted by the reflection that Jesus sleeps but he never oversleeps when we fall asleep we do not know how to awake but Jesus Christ does he sleeps but he does not oversleep glory be to his name he sleeps but he is not dead and as long as he is alive our joy is alive while there is a living Christ there will always be a Living Church. [00:41:52]

There may be both a sleeping Christ and a sleeping church but neither Christ nor his church can perish if our Lord Lord be asleep he is asleep near the helm he has only to put his hand out and steer The Vessel at once he is asleep but he only sleeps until we cry more loudly to him when we get into such trouble that we cannot help ourselves and feel our entire dependence on him then he will reveal his power perhaps during the next 20 years the state of religion in England will grow worse and worse and worse very possibly for another score years infidelity will abound and Superstition will abound and then his church will be in a desperate State and she will cry oh God the candle is all but quenched the light is nearly withdrawn and then there will be such an exceeding great and bitter cry that Christ will hear it and come and revive his work right gloriously. [00:43:20]

It may be he will let the battle go against us for many a day yet and our slender strength will be broken into utter weakness and we shall almost despair of the fight then he will send his Trumpeter to us then will his Spirit come and the Clarion call shall be heard be of good courage when you are weak then are you strong then on a sudden in our utter impotence we shall Rush upon the foe once more and like Gideon's barley cake which smoke the tents of Midian and made them lie long so shall our Lord's people do great exploits because the Lord has awakened as a mighty man out of his sleep a sudden and glorious Victory shall make Heaven and Earth ring with his praise be not discouraged nor discomforted the storm is not at its worst yet the vessel is not filled with the waves yet the water is not up to her bullworks yet she floats still when she can scarce keep from sinking and is almost going down by the head then the captain will stand in the front of the vessel and calm the Seas when the Roaring waves nearly overwhelm her he will say to them peace be still the calm the long Millennial calm it may be is close ahead we know not how near it may be but let us hope on. [00:44:48]

The other application is to The Sinner it may be that there is someone here who is in a desperate plight he feels his sins like hungry waves ready to devour him and he does not know how to escape but he has been praying and I'm glad of it dear friend never give up praying the poor soul has been crying Lord help me it is the right prayer brother keep on at it but it seems to him that Jesus is asleep and he says does he not care for a poor sinner will he let me go down to Hell and think nothing of it what say you friend would you let a Praying sinner go to hell if you could save him oh no say you if he cried to me I would help him do you think you are Kinder than Christ I tell you that his heart is made of tenderness his bowels Melt With Love believe in his Love cast yourself upon his grace and when you believe in him you are saved do not think hard thoughts of him Touch the Hem of His Garment and you shall be made whole trust your guilty soul with him and it is well with you now and forever may God give you his Blessing for jesus' sake amen. [00:45:57]