Contrary winds (3)

Mon, 11 Dec 2023

‘Stormy wind, fulfilling His word.’ Psalm 148:8

The winds were contrary when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they were contrary on their way to the promised land, and they were contrary when they got there. There is no such thing as a storm-free voyage: ‘"It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God."’ (Acts 14:22 NASB20). When you have to fight to stay afloat day after day, it’s easy to get discouraged. Paul said, ‘When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days … all hope that we would be saved was finally given up’ (Acts 27:20 NKJV). Maybe you’re weary and discouraged because of what you’re battling. You’re ready to call it quits – and, humanly speaking, nobody would blame you. But before you give up, ask yourself this: what if God is the One engineering this storm to get you where you need to go? What if He is the One who ‘... spoke and raised a stormy wind ...’ (Psalm 107:25 NASB), so you would have to keep your eyes on Him? What if He is the One who ‘ ... hurled a great wind on the sea ...’ (Jonah 1:4 NASB), to see if you would keep the faith when you can’t see the far shore? A psalmist tells us God uses ‘Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His Word.’ (Psalm 148:8 NASB20) In Exodus 10, ‘… and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and … it … brought the locusts … So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind, which picked up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea …’ (Exodus 10:13, 19 NASB20). One author adds, ‘When the Lord fought for Israel … stormy winds brought about their deliverance … And one day, by God’s great mercy, we too shall stand upon the sea of glass and see how stormy winds brought about our deliverance.’