Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Sometimes It’s Not Showers of Blessings

Having lived in Texas for most of my life, you learn to get used to a lot of things. It doesn’t snow much in the central part of Texas. Up near the panhandle, it tends to do it very frequently. My wife and I have relatives who tell us about the snow storms and the amount of snow they received. Other times we see a lot of rain. Sometimes those showers are floods. While other times, we experience drought conditions. In the case of the extreme dry weather, water conservation has to occur and watering our lawns becomes something that is regulated. You can easily see that in Texas, like most every place on the planet, we experience good weather as well as bad. It is just part of life.

Our lives are the same way. We have moments where we are either showered with blessings while other times those showers are more like storms. It is easy to live through and enjoy the good weather and it is something entirely different when you have to endure storms. Good or bad. Fair or foul. This is life for each of us.

This past week has been very difficult for us as a family. It has been a time of a lot of changes. Some of them, like the weather, were good while others not so good. When the winds of change blow from the wrong direction, it is easy to get discouraged and it feels that the weight of the world is now on your shoulders. Add a few daily annoyances on top of all that and a small shower and become a flood.

In life and in weather, floods happen. They are part of the life of the planet as well as our own. We have days when all is sunny and beautiful. It’s easy to live life when everything seems to be going your way. It is quite entirely different when things turn and become difficult.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”

No truer words could have been spoken.

The noted American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, in his poem, “The Rainy Day, “Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary.”

When you look at both quotes, you can easily see that our lives are the way they are. We must endure hardship and enjoy happiness as just a part of our daily walks. We are going to have good and bad days. I know that sounds so cliché. 

In my own life, I have experienced those peaks and valleys. Sometimes, the valleys seem to be long and so dark. There were times when I honestly thought I would never see the light of day or a single peak. But, I always remember that things often seem their darkest before dawn.

Paul, in chapter eight of his epistle to the church in Rome, wrote, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

I can easily tell you that others are going through worse situations than you and call you selfish or self-absorbed for thinking of only yourself. But, that wouldn’t be right of me to say that. Your bad patch of road is unique and it does cause pain and issues in your life. To discount it in any way is not fair at all. You have problems and I have problems. Those problems cause issues in our lives and a lot of sleepiness, anxiety-filled nights and days.

In chapter four of his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”

When you think about your problems in the context of Paul’s words, you can easily see that no matter what we go through, the prize at the end is the glory and the promise of eternal life with the Father in heaven. All problems pale in comparison to the gift of salvation and the hope that we receive when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior and Lord of our life.

As I write this message and share it with you, I find comfort in my own words. As I had mentioned, my family and I are going through some of the roughest times any family could go through, but we are making it and living each day in accordance with His will and know that He loves us dearly. His love is boundless.

I know there are many of you experiencing storms in your lives right now. You feel like you are just trying to keep your head above water and that every hour seems to take you closer and closer to the brink of hopelessness.

It doesn’t have to be that way for you at all. You don’t have to feel helpless at all. There is a hand that is there for you to hold on to. That hand belongs to Jesus Christ. He is there to help you out of the flood and give you a peace that surpasses all understanding.

In chapter five of his first epistle, Peter writes, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

When you put your hand in Jesus’ hand, he will be there for you each and every day. He will show you the way to the Father. When you have that wonderful relationship with Him, you can go to Him at any time day or night and give Him your worries and cares. God loves and cares for you so very much. Isn’t it time that you talk with Him? Isn’t it time that you accept His son as your friend and personal savior?

All you have to do is confess your sins, acknowledge that you have fallen short and ask Jesus to come into your heart and life. When you do that, you have become a member of the family of God. Find a local church to share your testimony and grow in faith with others. Some, like you, may have started their daily walks with the Lord while others have walked with Him daily for many years. No matter where people are in their faith, it is a blessing to share and help each other grow spiritually stronger.  

In time, your story will help someone who is floundering in a tempest of trouble and, like you, will reach up and take the hand of the man from Galilee. When they do that, they, like you, can stand firm in His grace.  

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.