Chris Kuhlmann discusses facing the storms in life. America is facing considerable challenges in so many arenas that listening to the news could tear you down, raise your blood pressure, trigger depression, or a handful of other less than peaceful responses. How do we navigate the storms of life? There is help, there is encouragement. Chris explores them in this episode.
CREDITS
Hosts: Chris Kuhlmann and Shaun Griffin
Written by: Chris Kuhlmann
Produced by: Shaun Griffin
Music composed by JD Kuhlmann
Art: Shaun Griffin
Sound: Chris Kuhlmann and Shaun Griffin
Sponsor: Phenomenal Christianity
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SHOW NOTES
The storms are brewing and there is nothing you can do about it; well, almost nothing it would seem. We discuss that and more today on The GRID.
In the news in review, we just talked about the WHO and the IHR and amendments. Biden cannot stop inflation; war in Ukraine continues. Real wages are going down. Schumer has decided infant murder should be legal up to birth, and on and on.
Sometimes I get hives myself each week just recording the news in review. There is so much that brings anxiety. And I’m not even talking about personal challenges and just the normal stresses of life.
Oh yes, my friends, the storms are brewing like a hurricane. Do you ever feel like the world is closing in and everything we hold dear such as faith, friends, family, country, law, democracy? That it’s all going to collapse under the weight of the enemy, with no clear path to survival, let alone the ability to thrive.
I feel like that, that’s why today, we are taking a reprieve from our normal podcast approach that is topic based, and today, we are just going to encourage you, where you are, in your moment, experience your own storms of life. Listen closely and let God’s word minister to you.
Mark 4:35-41
“That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be Still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him?”
Ladies and gentleman, this is where we dive in today. Let us take a moment and just let this passage sink it.
Do you feel like this? You are just going about a busy day, and you say, “Let’s go to the other side.”? Let us just head home, or something similar. And then out of nowhere a furious squall comes up? It’s external like we see today and godless people doing their very best to follow secular humanism to the spiritual death of our people and our country. Or is it more personal. has a furious squall come out of nowhere because you lost your job; a close friend or family member passed away, or your spouse has gotten sick? Your child has rebelled and is not walking in the security, protection, and blessing of the Lord. Ever feel like those storms of life are a furious squall?
Do you feel like the come all at once, threatening to break over your boat? The waves are scary, you feel swamped, you do not even have the emotional energy to carry on. Surely, it’s just easier to give up and let it all happen right?
There is good news. There is great news. There is fantastic news. Jesus is in the boat with you. And He’s so calm in the midst of your storm, He could literally lie down and sleep. I know, I know. We ask, but if Jesus is in the boat with me - if He truly sees the danger I’m in, if He would just realize I’m about to fold like a cheap blanket, then why doesn’t He rescue me? Why is this happening? Why did my child pass away, oh why is our country going to hell in a handbasket, why is everything coming at once?
In that moment, are you tempted to say “God, don’t you even care?” I know I have, more than once. Jesus, if you are so good, how can you allow such bad things to happen. Why don’t you intervene? I know you can, I know the Almighty, infinite, omnipresent God of the universe can literally do the Thanos snap in His sleep without the infinity stones and accomplish more than we can comprehend, but yet often doesn’t? Why?
You know the disciples ask the same question. Read it again, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” They were attacking Jesus and equating His action (in this case sleeping) as evidence He did not care. If we take this passage literally, Jesus cared so much that He didn’t even rebuke the disciples for questioning His caring nature. His first action was to rebuke the wind and the waves. In fact, He spoke audibly to the waves, “Quiet! Still.”
Those waves of fear that come into your life from watching too much Fox News or God forbid, MSNBC, can be debilitating inducing external hopelessness that becomes an inner prison. Jesus says to those fears and anxiety, “Quite! Be Still.” Jesus doesn’t always change the circumstances we are in, but he will always say to our fears, hurts, anxieties, and worries “Peace Be Still.”
So how did the disciples tap into that? Well, they had Jesus in the boat with them. Is Jesus in your boat? If not, you hitched the wrong ride. If you have any hope to navigate the furious squall of life, you can only do it in the arms of Jesus; you can only do it if Jesus is in your boat.
When Jesus is in your boat, you cry out to him, you hear me. You cry out to him with everything you have. When Jesus says, “Quiet! Be Still!” We notice something very profound. Scripture does not say the wind lessened and the waves became smaller. No, it says the Wind died down and the waves became completely calm. This is another thing we see in Jesus and that is his completeness. You can numb your anxieties and fears with all kinds of things. work, sports, hobbies, TV, movies, social media, alcohol, drugs, and worse. yet they all have the same, dubious quality and that’s this: temporary reprieve. That’s it. But again, when Jesus rebukes the storms, when Jesus covers your fear, hurts, worries, and anxieties, He is complete. He is completeness; He offers the complete calm. Not temporary, not partial, but complete. He is our completeness.
So, what about fear? What about your faith? Without those, Jesus will not cover your fears unless you conquer them and demonstrate great faith, correct? Sorry, that is not correct. It’s our incompleteness that is in stark contrast to Jesus’ complete calm. to Jesus’ overall completeness. Jesus asked the disciples, “Why were you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Despite their shortcomings, despite their lack of faith and trust, Jesus was still their completeness, Jesus still rebuked on their behalf, Jesus still brought “complete calm.”
And who got the Glory? Well, when you see this statement “Who is this that the wind and waves obey Him?” I think it’s clear that God got the glory.
Are you ready to give God the glory for bringing complete calm in your life? Sure, you may have made great efforts because you are an awesome individual, but God will not share his glory with you and I can assure you that your own efforts using whatever elixir of choice you have, will only be that temporary reprieve.
Mask mandates, vaccines, government control, inflation, declining real wages, debt, democracy, roe v wade, WHO, it’s enough to absolutely destroy any hope you might have. At least hope that is grounded in what the world has to offer. But make sure you are in the boat with a sleeping Jesus who can rebuke the furious squall and all the emotions that come with it. He can bring complete calm in your life.
Now, for my final encouragement, let me pray for you:
“Lord, I lift up my fellow believer to you and ask Lord that you would rebuke the wind and waves in their life. Jesus, bring complete calm to all the stresses all the strife all the worries of this world, and we speak “Quiet! Be Still!” in Jesus’ name. Lord, may You lift them up and protect them, Father, and hold them close to You at the foot of the cross. Lord, bring conviction where it’s needed; replace stress with comfort; sadness with joy; fear with courage; anxiety with trust; hopelessness with hope; harm with healing; and brokenness with restoration. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus.”
Thank you, fellow patriots for letting me share my heart today. I hope you were encouraged as you see that Jesus is the key to navigating the storms of life.
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