Isaiah 25:4
“For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.”
Many places in the world are subject to devastating storms. Within the U.S., the northern states face blizzards, while the south is subject to hurricanes and the Midwest has its tornados. In order to be safe, when one of these natural disasters strike, certain preparations must be done ahead of time. One of the most important, is to have a structure that can withstand the severe cold or intense winds that come with these storms. Proper preparations go all the way back to when the house was built.
A few years ago I watched as some friends built a new home. They used concrete block instead of wood, windows designed to withstand 150 mph winds, the roof was attached with hurricane straps, and in the center of the house, they built a safe room with concrete walls and a steel door. It was not long before a storm hit and most of the residents in our town evacuated. This family not only stayed, but actually opened their home up to some folks who had no where to go. After the storm, many homes were severely damaged, but their’s remained intact, having withstood all the storm brought upon it.
I think there is a vital spiritual lesson for us here. It is one that Isaiah understood. He wrote,
“For You have been… A refuge from the storm… For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.”
Isaiah understood that in this life, terrible storms will come. He also understood that if we are going to withstand them, we need a refuge strong enough to handle whatever terrible blast may come. Certainly, the Lord is a refuge that will hold up to any blast life can bring. However, it is important to remember that the time to prepare for the storm is not when it is upon us, but years in advance. If we want to benefit from the refuge the Lord offers, the best thing to do is to build our lives upon Him during the seasons of rest. He will be there for us in the times of greatest difficulty, but we will benefit the most if we draw near to Him now.
Don’t wait until you are being hit by disaster to cry out to God. Begin today to build your life on the solid Rock of Christ, by turning to Him and getting to know His Word.
Pastor Jim
During the 8th century B.C., Ethiopia was a powerful nation, stretching across much of North Africa. Ethiopian forces were a stronghold against the rising threat of Assyria. It would be easy for Judah to think their safety could be secured by an allegiance with Ethiopia, in a stand against Assyria. Instead, God stirs Isaiah to speak a proclamation against Ethiopia, as a means of deterring Judah from placing their trust in things which cannot help them.
Recently, I was driving with some friends, some of whom were from California, and others from Florida. It did not take long for the subject of hurricanes to come up. As we described our experiences of boarding up windows, stocking up on supplies and even evaluating our homes, one of the Florida folks said, “but at least we know they are coming, unlike those California earthquakes.” As you can imagine the conversation then switched to what it is like to have the ground we believe to be solid, suddenly begin to roll underneath your feet. Fortunately, we reached our destination before the conversation became more grave. Suffice it to say, it is a pretty eerie feeling when, what we believe to be solid, suddenly begins to shake; proving our foundations are not what we thought them to be.
In addition to building the Temple, Solomon had two large pillars erected, which he named Jachin and Boaz. Jachin means to establish and Boaz means strength. Whenever a person approached the Temple, they would see these two massive pillars. A reminder that the nation, the kingdom, the Temple, and each of our individual lives, are established and strengthened by God.
After the ship ran aground and all the passengers and crew arrived safely on shore, it would not take long for the onlookers to see who was who. Even after saving the lives of the entire crew, Paul is still treated as a criminal, and is sent to gather sticks for the fire. While reaching for a stick, Paul encounters what many people fear the most… a snake.
Zechariah referred to the coming Messiah as the cornerstone. A cornerstone is the stone which forms the base of a building. It supports the weight of the adjoining walls and is the set stone necessary to plum the rest of the building. If that stone is unstable, or too weak to support the weight of the structure, the building itself will collapse. If that stone is out of square, the entire building will be crooked. Every builder understood the importance of the cornerstone. Zechariah was not the only writer to refer to the Messiah as the cornerstone. Isaiah put it this way,
Jim Gallagher 