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My battle against powerful people from work had been going on for almost 14 months. As they desired to strip me off of my regular position and made me a contract nurse despite working there for 11 years, their actions were sudden, unannounced and was sort of a slap to my face, so to speak.
For each day of those months that had gone by, it is God alone Who helped me endure. I trusted and always believed in Him because of my past history of hurting my neck from the hospital after working there for almost 10 years, and Him placing me in the Correctional setting when the examining doctor had already advised me to quit Nursing.
I must say that God taught me much about the unseen war that goes on in every believer's soul as I started working in a different environment aside from the hospital. The prison is a place of darkness, lots of tortured souls, and filled with tormenting spirits. But here in this secluded place, God never fails to show me how strong His arsenal of weapons truly are!
The verse above was my morning devotion nugget. God reminds me that our life's journey is not always smooth-sailing. Like Euroclydon, violent winds may come abruptly and unexpectedly. Most of the time, there are no warnings. The men in the ship with Paul got scared and thought they would die. They even got rid of some of their cargoes to make the load of the ship lighter.
"18 The next day the storm was blowing against us so hard that the men threw some things out of the ship. 19 A day later they threw out the ship’s equipment. 20 For many days we could not see the sun or the stars. The storm was very bad. We lost all hope of staying alive—we thought we would die." - Acts 27:18-20 (ERV)
How very true in our lives that suffering exposes to us what truly matters in our lives. The riches and things of this world are coveted and thought to be powerful blessings, but if misused and desired first than God may turn out to be burdens in our lives instead.
Paul had a mission for God as he sailed through the storm. He knew the purpose why he needed to go to Rome despite the winds of Euroclydon bearing down upon the ship he was in. But God fulfilled His promise of saving Paul from the shipwreck and the men with him.
Paul arrived in Rome not as a free man but as a prisoner, his enemies perceived that way. But what they never realized, Paul was only the prisoner of the Lord. Of God Who wanted him to bring the gospel to those who were lost and were imprisoned by their sins. It was something their human chains could not hold. It was something their prison could not lock up!
What "Euroclydon" are you now facing? There is no mission too little or too big for God Who desires to call on those who willingly want to suffer for His cause. And when we set sail, He never abandons us for He truly is our sole Source of protection no matter how many "Euroclydons" come bearing down upon the ships of our lives. He is faithful. And how He loves us!
"Wait for the LORD’S help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the LORD’S help." - Psalms 27:14 (ERV)
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
"The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands." - Psalm 138:8 (NIV)
I know many of us are sailing through rough seas. May this song that the Lord gave me in 2003 encourage you and remind you that with Jesus, we will safely reach the Shore.
The Light of Life
You're the Light that I see in the middle of the storm
Guiding my way so I can reach Home
No matter how strong the winds, Your Lights still I see
And to see Your Light gives me hope and the will to move on
Jesus....Jesus...
So the Light is shining on and keeps guiding me
Darkness won't prevail 'coz Your ray still beams through
Amidst the storm, my fear is gone, there's strength in me
You're always there for all the lost, out in the sea
Jesus...Jesus...
You're the Light that I see in the middle of the storm
Guiding our ways, so we can reach Home...
Jesus...Jesus...
