Storms and Hope

Storms

The Bible has many verses about storms.

I want to look at a few verses about the storms of life. The difficulties, hurts, fears, memories, pain, sufferings of the present and past.

Job was well acquainted with grief from the storms of life.

B1 This is how Job felt: Job 9:17 GNB He sends storms to batter and bruise me without any reason at all.

B2 Job 27:20-23 GNB Terror will strike like a sudden flood; a wind in the night will blow them away; 21 the east wind will sweep them from their homes; 22 it will blow down on them without pity while they try their best to escape. 23 The wind howls at them as they run, frightening them with destructive power.

B3 Job 30:20-22 GNB I call to you, O God, but you never answer; and when I pray, you pay no attention. 21 You are treating me cruelly; you persecute me with all your power. 22 You let the wind blow me away; you toss me about in a raging storm.

Why Lord?

Psalms 13:1-6 GNB How much longer will you forget me, LORD? Forever? How much longer will you hide yourself from me? 2 How long must I endure trouble? How long will sorrow fill my heart day and night? How long will my enemies triumph over me? 3 Look at me, O LORD my God, and answer me. Restore my strength; don't let me die. 4 Don't let my enemies say, "We have defeated him." Don't let them gloat over my downfall. 5 I rely on your constant love; I will be glad, because you will rescue me. 6 I will sing to you, O LORD, because you have been good to me.

Comfort from the Psalms

Psalms 55:8 GNB I would hurry and find myself a shelter from the raging wind and the storm.

Lyrics: Praise You in This Storm

I was sure by now

God You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day

But once again, I say, Amen and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands

And praise the God who gives and takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm and I will lift my hands

For You are who You are no matter where I am

And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand

You never left my side and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry, You raised me up again

But my strength is almost gone

How can I carry on if I can't find You

As the thunder rolls

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"

And as You mercy falls I raise my hands

And praise the God who gives and takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm and I will lift my hands

For You are who You are no matter where I am

And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand

You never left my side and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes unto the hills

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The Maker of Heaven and Earth

I lift my eyes unto the hills

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The Maker of Heaven and Earth

And I'll praise You in this storm and I will lift my hands

For You are who You are no matter where I am

And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand

You never left my side and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

Hope

Difference between faith and hope

Faith is believing God. The words He has spoken and the words we read in the Bible are true.

A Story of Faith

Pete had become lost in the desert and had been chasing mirages He thought to himself, I'll follow this last one. It was a deserted town with a well in the very center His mouth parched from the intense heat, he ran to the well with his last ounce of energy.

He vigorously pumped the handle only to find that no water came forth Then, he looked up to a note nailed to the post It instructed its readers to "look behind the rock where a five-gallon container of water will be found" and warned against drinking or using it for anything besides priming the pump Every ounce was needed, and not even a drop could be spared, the note emphasized.

"After pouring the water down the pump, pump the handle vigorously and all the water you desire will come forth," the note said One last instruction was to please fill the water can and place it behind the rock for the next weary soul who might happen to come along.

How hard it is for people to give up a "sure thing" for something they cannot see at the time Pete had a sure thing in the bucket of water and yet was instructed to pour it "all" down the pump.

Hope is looking to a promise. We don’t know when it will be fulfilled, but it will be.

Faith, Hope, Love

One of the most memorable sermons was preached by the late Emil Brunner at the Fraumunster Kirche in Zurich, Switzerland. It was based on the phrase, "faith, hope, and love." The points were these: Every man has a past, a present, and a future. Every man has a problem in his past, a problem in his present, and a problem in his future. The problem in our past is sin, but God has an answer to that problem. The answer is faith-faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The problem in our future is death, but God has an answer to that problem also. The answer to that problem is hope-hope in Christ's return based on the fact of His historical resurrection and His promises. The problem in our present is hate, and God's answer to that problem is love. It is the love of Christ lived out in the lives of those who trust Him.

Bible words

B1 Hebrew

C1 מִקְוֶה miqveh. Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon has expectation, hope, and confidence. This would be the confidence that the answer, the deliverance, and the deliverer is just around the corner.

D1 Ezra 10:2 NIV Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.

D2 Jeremiah 14:8 NIV You who are the hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night?

C2 תִּקְוָה tiqvâh. Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon has a rope, expectation, and hope. This would be an attachment, a safety.

D1 Job 6:8 NIV Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for.

D2 Psalm 62:5 NIV Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

C3 יָחַל yâchal. Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon has expectation, waiting, and hope. This would be patience, for example waiting for a cab, bus, or a friend who is coming. Lamentations 3:21, 24 NIV Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: ... I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

B2 Greek (similar ideas as in Hebrew). ἐλπίζω elpízō. Strong’s (G1680) has (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence.

C1 Luke 23:8 NIV When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort.

C2 Romans 8:25 NIV But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

C3 2 John 1:12 NIV I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

In the midst of the storms of life, why should we hope in God.

B1 He is faithful. He keeps His word. His promises will happen. He does not always tell us when or why, but we know from experience that He is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NIV Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

B2 He is safe and secure. Psalm 25:3 NIV No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

B3 God cannot lie. Titus 1:1-2 CSB Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

B4 God is good. It is a character trait. Psalm 27:13-14 CSB I am certain that I will see the LORD's goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the LORD.

B5 He is a deliverer. Psalm 69:13-14 NLT But I keep praying to you, LORD, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mud; don't let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters.

We can be secure in our hope in God.