Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– John Newton
In His Hands
Those who have trusted in Christ can rely on Christ after they are saved. Jesus makes as strong of a statement about this as He can by saying, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Is there any place more secure than in the very hands of God?
With you in the Storm
God never promises to keep us out of the storms of life but He does promise that He will go with us through the storms. In fact, Jesus went with the disciples in a boat knowing full well that a storm was coming, so when “a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger” (Luke 8:23), the disciples went to Jesus and “woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm” (Luke 8:24). Did they really believe Jesus would allow the boat to sink and with Him on it? When Jesus rebuked the storm, “they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25).
Shadows and Reality
David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4a) because he knew that “you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4b). Maybe most of us miss this point; a shadow of death is not the same as death itself. While waiting on a train, I noticed the train’s shadow was hitting my car, and this made me think; the shadow of the train hitting my car is not as deadly as the train hitting my car. One is a shadow…the other is real. We have no need to fear because God is with us and He’s got His rod and staff with Him to comfort us.
All you’ve Got
When all you’ve got is Christ, you’ve got all you need. If everything seems to be falling in on you and you’re left with nothing else to do, all you can do…indeed, all you must do is to know you have Christ. Christ said “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18), and that is an ironclad promise. Let that sustain you during the trials of life.
Conclusion
The Bible can give us great comfort during our trials because the Word of God can remind us that those who have trusted in Christ are in His mighty hands; He will take you through the storm but be with you while you’re in the storm; shadows and reality are not nearly the same thing; so when all you’ve got left is Christ, you have all you need in Christ.
