My Part / God's Part

I was feeling a little overwhelmed and thankful last night as we watched the weather report about hurricane Irma just before we retired for the evening.  What brought on the emotions was my increased sense of the faithfulness of God, and the reality of the power of our prayers!  The reporter on the news show was standing in the downtown area of one of Florida’s major cities with water up to his knees.  And while things were bad, they weren’t as bad as they could have been… as everyone had been reporting that it would be.

Over the last week we and a lot of other Christians around the country, had been speaking to the storm and commanding it to dissipate quickly, and last night’s evening report was proof that prayer works.  The storm didn’t hit Florida as a category five but as a four, quickly reducing to a category three as it made landfall.  Then from there it kept going down.  So yea, the damage was bad in some places but not as devastating as it could have been!  As of this morning, it is continuing to follow a northwestern path across land and is lessening in wind strength and rain.

That path also means that it will miss our new home state of North Carolina.  We are getting a bit of the residual effects from the storm today and tomorrow with wind gusts up to 30 mph and some rain beginning tonight.  Whew… and Praise the Lord!

Now some may think that speaking to the storm instead of praying directly to God about it is a bit strange, but you know… it is exactly what Jesus taught us to do in Mark 11:22-24 and is exactly what Jesus did when faced with similar hurricane conditions in Matthew 8:23-27.  I have often marveled at how Jesus would teach on a certain subject in the Gospels and then demonstrate what he taught shortly thereafter.

I Corinthians 1:9 tells us that “God faithfully keeps his promises.  He called you to be partners with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” (God’s Word ©)  This passage perfectly describes what I am talking about.  I have seen many miraculous and unexplainable things in ministry over the years, but I still continue to be amazed and astounded when I see God move in accordance to our obedience to His Word.  It NEVER gets old with me!  According to this verse, we are partners with Jesus Christ, so that when we obey His Word and do our part in obedience to that Word, He in return, does His part in answer to our actions of faith.  Pretty cool wouldn’t you say?

Now I have seen, read about and personally experienced some people saying that this kind of action is simply done as a “do to get” scheme… as a sort of selfish action that is only focused on personal gain.  But in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  Warren Wiersbe in his commentary of I Corinthians writes that “these promises are certainly not an excuse for sin (or selfish personal gain).  Rather, it is the basis for a growing relationship of love, trust and obedience.”*

I can’t help but appreciate and love God more than when I see His faithfulness to my obedience concerning the truths of His Word.  What about you?  On days like today, after once more experiencing the love of God and the power of His Word in combination with the winning effects of prayer, I can’t help but want to shout of His glory from my front porch! Wow… Isn’t God Good!

Have a terrific week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting my steps and/or actions of obedience to God’s Word to work miracles in my life today?”

*Be Wise, A Commentary on the Book of I Corinthians, Warren Wiersbe, page 21