February 20, 2023
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My friend Dave was a veteran sailor, and our family got to enjoy his seamanship several times when we were guests on his sailboat. Of course, I asked him tons of questions, but I was never able to stump him. I remember the day we were leaving the harbor, and I asked him about those big open gates we sailed through on our way into the Sound. He said, "Oh, those are hurricane gates" - which it turns out are closed when hurricanes are approaching so the boats that are anchored in the harbor are protected from the worst of the storm. Interestingly enough, that very afternoon, Dave sensed a surprise storm coming up, so we raced the storm and just before it cut loose, we made it back to the safety inside the hurricane gates.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "One Safe Place In the Storm."
You never know when a powerful storm is going to blow into your life. Maybe one, or maybe several, have blown into your life recently. Life has so many variables; so many unpredictables, especially today. And, you know, if you're not in a storm, you know you're probably going to be soon.
There's nothing you can do to stop most of life's storms, whether it's medical or relational, financial, parental, things at work, things at school, things at home. These are things that are out of your control, but you can have a harbor that protects you from going down. There is a hurricane gate where you can always be safe no matter what.
I remember one day when the stock market was absolutely tanking; it was a day of huge losses. I was sitting in an airport lounge, and I was watching on TV as this drama unfolded on the trading floor on Wall Street. I had just gotten my Bible out, and I had it in my lap. This very well dressed businessman suddenly zoomed by me with his suitcase following him on wheels. He looked at the TV for a moment, he absorbed the horrendous financial news, and he wheeled around to go chase his plane. But as he brushed past me, he looked at the Bible in my lap and he said, "I guess that's the right book to have on a day like today." He was right. When you belong to Jesus Christ, your anchor holds, no matter what else is caving in.
And that leads us to our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 112:6, talks about the complete security of the person whose sins have been forgiven and who is, therefore, really close to God. The Bible says, "Surely he will never be shaken...he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Now, imagine this - no fear of bad news; unsinkable, no matter what hits you.
That kind of un-shake-ability is for a man or woman who knows they are totally in God's hands. That kind of a relationship with Him begins the day that you acknowledge to God that you're done running your own life, that you actually deserve the death penalty the Bible says there is for sinning, and that your only hope is God's Son. That's Jesus, who died to remove everything that keeps you from belonging to God. At that point, Jesus Christ enters your life, takes it in His all-powerful hands, and gives you a love, and a peace, and a future that nothing on earth can take away from you!
If you're ready for that kind of security, then it's time for you to tell Jesus you want to begin your personal never-ending relationship with Him - that you are totally trusting Him and His death on the cross for you; believing that the man who walked out of His grave under His own power is bigger than anything you will ever face. If that's what you want, if you want to belong to this Jesus, then I want to invite you to our website - ANewStory.com. It's really set up to provide a simple and non-religious explanation of exactly how to get started with Jesus Christ.
Jesus offers to you the one totally safe place in a world that's full of storms, and you know what? He's waiting to welcome you right now.