A Solid Rock in the Tempest

I used to be a slave to circumstance. I was happy with my walk with God, but I bowed to the devil’s lies when he tempted me, telling me, “What if this or that happens?” or “What will you do in the very last days?” These questions scared me. “You will be too weak to remain faithful to God,” he said. I preferred to avoid thoughts of future temptations, because I feared my own weakness, not trusting in God’s strength. But as God has deepened my experience, I realize that there is no need for such fears in my heart. I only need to build my character on a foundation – on a Rock. Jesus says, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Matthew 7:24-25. As I read those words, I finally understood how I was to stand in future trials: Jesus said, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them...” He is only asking us to be obedient to Him now; and we can be assured that no rain, or floods, or winds, beating upon us, shall be able to cause us to fall. All Jesus wants is for us to give Him today. Our consecration to Him needs to be a daily matter. When we choose to live for Him today, and choose Him again tomorrow, daily consecrating ourselves to Him in the morning, and living for Him all day long; then we can grow closer to Him, and stronger in Him, daily. He is smoothing away the roughness from our characters through our daily experiences. He is strengthening our weak points by allowing trials and temptations to come our way that test and exercise those areas of weakness. But we are promised that “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13. Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. We are totally dependant upon our Saviour for any good works or obedience to God on our part. And we are assured that if we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit – the fruit of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23. So whatever fruit of the Spirit we may need, we will bear it when we abide in Christ. It is that abiding presence that we all really need. In fact, it is what we all long for deep down in our hearts. We need the presence of the holy “God of peace” in our weak hearts, that we may be made strong. “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” James 4:8. It is by drawing nigh to God that we abide in Him. As our relationships with God are strengthened, our characters are strengthened; and we are better able to meet with severe tests and trials. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Verse 7. When we submit to God, He enables us to resist the devil. And as we continue to do so, the devil will continue to flee from us – even if it seems like he is coming at us with stronger temptations and trials. One reason I was afraid of the prophesied crisis of the last days was this: I knew the truth; I knew what would happen; I knew what I would need to do; but I was not doing those things then. If I was not close enough to God then, I would obviously be too weak when difficulties and hardships took an extreme form. So, as we can see from my own experience, theological knowledge cannot help us in the end, or now – what we need is to abide in Christ the vine, to stand upon Christ the Rock, against Whom the gates of hell cannot prevail. So how do we abide in Christ the vine? John 15:10 says, “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” O dear friend, if you can relate to this article, John 15 is a chapter for you to read and really ponder! I cannot explain to you how to abide in Christ, because it is something that individuals must find for themselves through the abundant wisdom and love of God; but what better way to learn than through God Himself as He speaks to you through His holy word, the Bible! Take time for Jesus every day, learning what His voice sounds like in His word, and throughout the day, listen for and obey His voice in every slightest conviction as He speaks to you personally through your conscience. Talk to Him as a friend to a friend any time throughout the day, knowing that He is always there. This is a mutual relationship with mutual communication. This is your start for the abiding experience. Jesus says in Matthew 21:44, “Whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” So we must fall on Christ and be broken. What does that mean? I often think of a horse when I read that. To break a horse means to train it. If a horse is truly, fully broken, she will trust her master and obey his every command. If something spooks her, she will not buck and run and throw off her master. She will trust him when he commands her to be calm. Do you see the comparison? When we fall on Christ and are broken, it means that we have learned to trust and obey Him completely. When life gets scary, we don’t “throw off” our Master, if you know what I mean. And when we truly trust and obey our Master, we will not end up getting lost and feeling very far away from the One we had left in a moment of trial. But Jesus is ever ready to seek us out and draw us closer to Him, if we only ask Him to. And He is never far away. You see, we need to be abiding in Christ, standing on a solid Rock, when tempests of trial and temptation come our way. And when that great storm, relentless in its fury, hits the waters all around us, we will be safe on the Rock of our salvation. Though the waves rush over us, though we become cold and wet and uncomfortable, we will not be swept away into the angry waters. He will keep us in perfect peace when we focus on Him. And the stronger the storm becomes, the more firmly we will hold on to our Rock. And He promises, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:5,6. So meet me on the Rock – that’s where I’ll be. I’ll be there for eternity. Infinite strength to meet each test; A Solid Rock in the tempest. ~Sister G. If this article contains principles that you feel a need to learn more about, here are some things for you to read: John 15; Isaiah 2:10-22; Deuteronomy 31:6; Proverbs 3:25,26; Proverbs 1:27-30,33; Daniel 2:34; Isaiah 32:17-19; Isaiah 28:16; Isaiah 43:1,2.