Things to remember when life is at its worst - Audio

Sometimes it seems that life is conspiring against us. The events that come at us seem to be a coordinated effort to try to derails our hopes, dreams and prayers. It is easy to play “what if.” What of this had not happened? What if that had gone differently? When everything is in turmoil we look for a sign of hope; for a sign that God has heard our prayers. It is difficult to carry on when God is silent. Questions, doubts and fear creep in to our thoughts. It is important to understand that life cannot be judged by a small segment. If we are not careful, we can become lost in a moment, a week or a month of life. Some storms last a short time, others can last a long time one, two or even ten years. We must not judge our entire life by a turbulent period. We cannot see the whole picture, but God can see it. In our text, we read the story of a great soul in a great crisis. This story reinforces that we are not the first to face stormy times. Even God's chosen people have to endure tough times and storms. Going through a storm is never an easy experience. The longer the storm lasts, the more if affects our attitude and the way we deal with others. Our focus narrows to simply survival. Our text is about more than a storm, or survival. it is about a message that came to Paul. God delivered the message that Paul must stand before Caesar. Paul's destiny would not be determined by the storm. God had already determined destiny and it was not wrapped up in the storm he was currently facing. Paul's life, and ours, is determined by God's word, not our circumstances. God has a plan for our life and that plan has a good end. The destiny that God has for us has a purpose. God reminded Paul, and us, that His plans trump life's troubles. No matter how painful whatever we are in now, God's plan is better. There are things that God has written about each one of us that must be fulfilled. God has a story written about each one of us. This does not mean that we can do whatever we want. God's promise to Paul came with a condition. To see God's plan through, Paul had to stay with the ship. God did not call Paul to have him perish in the storm that night. God brought Paul, and us to where we are. He did not do that to leave us to die. There is no storm, no problem, that can change God's plan for our life. We must remain with the ship and keep pressing toward the promise that God has given us.