Way of Rest - 4

Fellow partakers of God's grace,

Greetings to you in the wonderful Name of our Lord Jesus. We thank God for the opportunity He has given us to reach you. We also appreciate the feedback we have received from some of you. We intend to circulate some of such at the appropriate time, for the benefit of everyone. This we are likely to do during the interval between the end of this series and the beginning of another one. We are still open to receive your questions, comments, burdens and suggestions.

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Dearly beloved,
 We thank God for yet another opportunity to reach you. Some of you we have met. Others we have not met, and may never meet. All the same, our desire is to remain relevant to all, but only in the context of God's will. So, pray for us, again and again, for guidance.
 We continue our exploration on "The Way of Rest". So far, we have considered the way of peace, kinds of rest, the pattern of rest established in the beginning and Jesus' historic offer of rest. In our last write up, we started to explore the Sabbath-rest of Hebrews 4. To ensure an unbroken flow of understanding, we will repeat the introductory aspects. After that, we will focus on the storms of life.
 THE WAY OF REST (4)
 The Sabbath-Rest
The Scriptures reveal that, after the six-day creation period, God rested on the 7th day, and that He sanctified that day and blessed it (Gen. 2:2 & 3). This turned out to be the basis for the weekly Sabbaths of rest observed in Israel. Interestingly, it is also the basis for the rest that God gives His children.
 Hebrews 4 teaches that:
*The promise of rest for the people of God still stands .
*The works of God were finished from the foundation of the world. The implication is that we are called to partake of the manifestation of works that are already finished or completed (see also Jn. 5:19 & 20,Eph.2:10).
*The Israelites entered the promised land (an earthly inheritance) but did not receive rest for their souls (see vs. 6-9). The same thing is currently happening in many lives (Rev. 3:15-19).
*Entry into rest marks the end of man’s labour and the beginning of the manifestation of God’s finished work (Psa. 46:10, Jn. 15:5, 1 Thes.5:24).
*The labour God appreciates is that which leads us into His rest. Afterwards, though we labour, it is "according to His working which worketh…mightily" in us (see Col. 1:29). May it truly be so. Amen.
 Understanding Storms
Psalm 107 gives us examples of ‘storms’ in the lives of men. We will highlight the four storms described therein and make brief comments. In all, we will confirm that God’s Word is beautiful for all situations.
 *"They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. O that men would praise the LORD for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (vs.4-8)
The Israelites went through a storm characterised by hunger, thirst and lack of shelter.
In response to their cry, the LORD made a way where there was no way and provided something out of nothing.
 *"Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of The Most High: Therefore He brought down their heart with labour; they fell down and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that men would praise the LORD…For He hath broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder" (vs. 10-16).
This storm is characterised by affliction and pain. We learn that the consequences of disobedience are grave. Yet there is forgiveness and deliverance for the penitent.
 *"Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhoreth all manner of meat: and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses. He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD…" (vs. 17-21).
Again, this storm is characterized by affliction. The Lord chastens and corrects His children. Repentance attracts forgiveness.  
 *"They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep. For He commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind…their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses…Oh that men would praise the LORD" (vs. 23-31).
Unlike the preceding two, this storm does not seem to have any purpose to accomplish. However, it is as useful as the others. The higher the stakes, the greater the challenges. Again, the more the challenges, the greater the testimony. This leads us to a classification of storms.
 Classifying Storms
A study of the Scriptures will reveal different kinds of storms. For now, we have been able to identify four:
Storms as natural phenomena (or storms that come in the natural course of things). Paul had a few of such (Ac. 27:14-44, 2 Cor.11:25-26).
Storms as a response to man’s disobedience (Psa.107:10-21, Jon. 1:1-4).
Storms as a test of obedience (Mk.4:17,35-41,Matt.7:24-27).
Storms that are related to men’s aspirations and pursuits (Psa. 107: 23-31, Eccl. 10:8-9).