FAITH IN THE FORECAST
My partner for the day was my ole buddy Danny H. Danny is a legend in his own MIND…….excuse me, I mean his own time. He has convinced himself that he is the better fisherman between the two of us, and being the good sport that I am, I just let him go on believing that. At any rate, we pulled up to the boat launch bright and early yesterday morning. Dark clouds were hovering over the lake and rain drops were dotting the water as we backed the boat in and prepared to set off. As we made our way around the lake I was forced to trim back my normal speed due to the stinging drops of rain blasting us in the face. We began to fish as the gloomy clouds made their way across the sky, some dropping more precipitation than others; it was certainly not the best conditions to say the least.
At this point in the story you may be thinking, either these two guys really love to fish, or they are just plain crazy to be out in the middle of a 2500 acre lake in the rain. You see, it wasn’t so much that we just love to fish, although we do. And it wasn’t so much that we were just crazy, although we are sometimes. But before we left that morning to drive to the lake I turned on the television and caught a local station doing a weather forecast for the area that we were fishing. That forecast said that the foul weather that we were experiencing would give way to blue skies and sunshine by noon. And so, armed with that forecast, I had no reservations about getting on the boat.
Now, had I not seen that forecast, there would have been times during the morning hours when the clouds were dark and the rain was harassing us that I would have been tempted to turn the boat around and head home. But I simply believed the weather report, I HAD FAITH IN THE FORECAST. Had I turned the boat around and gave up, we would have missed a beautiful afternoon on the water.
Perhaps you are reading this blog today and life has handed you a storm. Gray clouds may be hovering overhead, rain drops of gloom and despair may be dotting the water all around you, and you may be ready to just turn the boat around and give up. I want to encourage you to stay on the water. Why? Because I have read the forecast for those that are followers of Christ and it tells me weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 56:8) The forecast says when the enemy comes in like a flood, our God will raise a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19) The report that I read every day tells me that greater is HE that is in me, than he that is in the world (I John 4:4) and it also says if God be for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31) .
The extended forecast gets even better. It informs us that there will be some clouds. There will be some dark times, but it also lets us know that one day faster than a wheel ever turned on an axle, or a hoof ever struck a pavement, the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, is going to step through the clouds and gather his people from every corner of the earth. Paul the apostle put it like this, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:16)
It doesn’t matter if you can’t make sense of it. It doesn’t matter that you can’t see anything but dark clouds hovering over your head. Your Heavenly Father has declared that the thoughts that He has toward you are thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a good end. (Jeremiah 29:11) Have FAITH IN THE FORECAST. God has this awesome way of working things out for his people.
Sara and I are praying God’s absolute best for your life. Have a great week.
DO SOMETHING WITH IT!
Chris