THE BEGINNINGS OF THE STORM ... AND REACHING THE SHORE

We are surrounded by so many voices,
    everybody seems to be voicing their opinion.
        and yet there is so little substance.
How we need a true view of our present state.

On the other end of everything written are the readers.
    Everything we read, hear and experience is interpreted instantly,
        in the light of our feelings, culture, experience and education
            - the biases of our lives.
It takes a conscious effort to rid ourselves of these things,
    and to see with fresh eyes and a free spirit what lies before us.
        It takes a conscious effort to free ourselves from the world of our existence,
            to shut out the voices around us
                and hear the voice of God fresh from heaven.

Let us go to the book of Acts, chapter 27
    Here is the story of Paul,
        and here is  the world,
            and here the rapidly unfolding record of our day.
                It is a journey to destruction.
                   
The central and sublime moment of the record
    is when Paul declares,
        "I believe God."

What must it have been to be there that day in that ship,
    helpless in the grip of the winds,
        the darkness of days without sun or moon,
            the throwing overboard of everything superfluous.

Overboard also was hope,
    "all hope...was taken.away."
Forget the destination - they had no hope for life.
    THE SHIP WAS HEADED FOR DESTRUCTION.

At that moment,
    greater than the ship,
        greater than the darkness,
            greater than the storm,
God spoke to Paul - and Paul spoke to the travelers.

There may have been other ships, other travelers, caught up in the storm,
    but the word was to those who traveled with Paul,
        to those who were able to hear the Word of the Lord.

Four times the bible states,
    "To day if ye will hear His voice." (Ps. 95.7, Heb. 3.7, 3.15, 4.7)
If there is one thing needed in our day, and in our midst,
    it is to hear the true voice of God,
        utterly beyond, infinitely beyond, all other voices that we have ever known.
       
"The Lord ALONE shall be exalted in that day" declares Isaiah (2.11, 2.17)
in a preface to the following 64 amazing chapters.

Today our civilization wallows midst the waves, headed for destruction.
    But God abides and controls all.
When man's pride and glory is abased "God alone" will speak and bring His own to a safe place.

Whatever revival we envision will be in the context of a judgement
    which will leave us naked of the Babel towers of sufficiency and pride which we have built.
    
                When "God alone" is exalted He will be known as He is.
                and the tempest and destruction will be our portion no more.