Master's of Disasters

When we navigate troubled waters, God is the Master of not only the waves, but also the ship. He never abandons His plans or His people. He will see the voyage through to its final destination.
But we’re stubborn creatures who struggle to learn.

And we learn the least when the sun is shining and the winds are crisp and life feels good. Peace and prosperity have never provided effective classrooms. Crisis and catastrophe, on the other hand, offer master’s degrees. By the way, that accreditation gives you a degree entitled "Master's of Disaster."

The truth etches itself into your mind and heart when you find yourself forced into a one on one relationship of dependency upon God. It’s the school of hard knocks, to be certain, but there’s one momentous consolation: all the while, even while the bruises ache and the scars are fresh, He is still working all things together for our good and for His. It’s essential that we cling to His promise of continuous protection and growth. He is our only hope our only asset, our only possibility, and as we look into His eyes, we realize that from the very beginning life has always been like that. We just wouldn’t learn it, for we are stubborn creatures.

Our hope in our Master’s of Disaster study is found in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” As a 68-year-old, I can look back at all the disasters that occurred in my life and see (hindsight is 20-20) how though the situation was unpleasant, God accomplished a good work of growth through it for me. My responsibility is to cooperate with Him – not wallow in self pity or with clenched fist raised shouting, “Why me, God?”

A current “disaster” can be examined through the grid of past experience engineering a response something like, “This is not comfortable, God, but I trust you. What do you want to teach me through this? How can I become a godlier person?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him; so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Adapted from David Jeremiah’s book, “A Bend In the Road.”