From the desk of .. September 2001
Subha and Hepsi … GLITCHES & GRACE
We have had a host of thunderstorms lately.
When the air gets hot and muggy (nicer word for humid), water
accumulates in a cloud formation and comes our way along with thunderstorms.
The process repeats for a month or two during this season.
In a similar fashion, we believe our heavenly Father sends spiritual
storms in our lives, with a great purpose behind them and as Rev. John
Gollapalli identifies, He sends them our way either to correct us
or to perfect us. I
have had traffic tickets in the remote past as a means of correlation to a storm
of correction on some heart issue and more often than not, I would clear the
account with God on whatever that matter be, at once.
The Book of Jonah is a classic piece of history that discusses the storm
of correction superbly, the occurrence of not only a physical storm but also
the spiritual storm that touches and shakes the core belief and value system of
the prophet Jonah. What a
remarkable story of God getting Jonah’s attention, albeit his willing and
planned disobedience to His call! It’s
a gripping story of wind, sea storm and the great fish obeying the Lord
implicitly first, before Jonah obeys His word reluctantly.
Now that the Ninevites sought God’s face and received mercy, Jonah is
angry with God. The Lord provides
an object lesson to Jonah about his messed up theology.
Jonah knows the Ninevites responded to his message and repented before
the Lord and he knows well the Lord relents sending calamity to such in keeping
with His characteristic of grace and compassion. Yet, he sits in a shade and waits to see what happens to the
city. The Lord prepares a gourd
(vine) to give a shade to Jonah which gives him a soothing relief from the sun,
may be, even from the bodily pains accumulated during the trip inside the fish
and the preaching tour. Then my
Bible reads (4:7): But God prepared a worm when the morning
rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. Coupling with the vine withered by the worm, God sent the
scorching east wind and the sun blazed on the prophet’s head enough to cause a
stroke. The fainted Jonah wished he
was dead and of course quite honestly answered God that he was angry enough to
die. If Jonah could be concerned
for a vine that he did not tend or make it grow, how much more should God who
created the people of Nineveh be concerned about them, particularly after they
repented of their evil?
Did
you notice the phrase: But God?
Are you in a storm of correction where you like the vine
experience but are mad about the worm experience?
Its necessary that we be sensitive to the Spirit of God and recognize the
storms of correction that come our way with an express purpose of God getting
our attention and fixing our priorities. May
the Lord help us first to avoid the storms of correction by implicitly obeying
Him and secondly to embrace the rod of correction willingly when we are taken
through those spiritual storms. I
am sure we appreciate God banishing Adam out of the garden after his sin for his
own safety (otherwise he would have been consumed by fire).
Don’t we chuckle at the all-knowing God asking Jacob what his name was?
Jacob may have answered his dad wrongly when he was asked that question
but he had to face the Almighty God this time, and ‘the deceiver’ answered
correctly owning up to who he was. The
storms of correction are thus inevitably attracted by our human nature but they
are for our good and so we must cheer up by all means when the Daddy prescribes
them to us. Paul discusses
Israel’s history- their deliberate disobedience- idolatry, immorality,
revelry, grumbling and warns us to shun from such evil things and keep our
hearts in tune with God. Amidst
that, he gives these words of comfort (I Cor. 10:13): There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (stand up
under) it. Let the assurance of
His faithfulness and His provision reign supreme in our hour of temptation.
He is able to deliver us from evil and does provide a way of escape from
temptation as we seek His presence and help.
The pastor at Philippi, Epaphroditus, visited
Paul in prison and he fell ill for some time.
Paul claimed a practical ‘but God’ experience as he writes to the
Philippians (2:27): For indeed Eppy was sick nigh unto death: but God
had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow
upon sorrow. Its true we all
die some day but Paul claims the sparing of Eppy for some more time on earth was
a great solace to him in his given situation. May the Lord help us appreciate the little details He
orchestrates in our lives and give Him the due honor for them.
Just a few words about the storms of
perfection: a storm the disciples faced on the lake with the Master sleeping
through its course, was to perfect (strengthen) their faith (Lk. 8:22-25).
Hepsi and I are now in the midst of a storm of perfection in our own
lives- its to do with having faith in God (Mk. 11:23), claiming His promise
(Gal. 3:13) and believing and knowing we already have what we have asked of Him
(I Jn. 5:14-15). A hymn sung in a
church last Sunday describes clearly our current experience with the perfecting
storm: Keep us O Lord, keep us cleaving; And still, believing; Till receiving
Thy great promises with Thee. We can whole heartedly say our God is great
and whether it be a storm of correction or a storm of perfection that we face,
the life of faith is quite a thrill. Giving
Him all the glory for His wonderful purposes in each of our lives, yours in Him,
Kumpatys.
G&G is free for the asking. Our address: N 7144 Lakeshore Ave., Elkhorn, WI 53121. Our phone: (262) 742-5113. Email: kumpaty@msoe.edu and kumpatyh@uww.edu.