Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation

A Christian Spring?

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:14:17 +0000

Last year was a remarkable year for the so-called Arab Spring in the Middle East. Seemingly from out of nowhere, thousands upon thousands of people united to have their voices heard and to oust tyrannical leaders. A seemingly invisible force drew them out of their homes and into the streets decrying injustice and tyranny. And in some measure they succeeded in achieving their aims. Their voices were heard, though action was admittedly very limited.

But where is the Christian Spring? Today’s generation of Christians is generally marked by passivity, by a lack of fervor and zeal for the cause of the Lord God of hosts. Where are the Christians of today uniting for the holiness of God to be established in our land? Where are the Christians today who are mourning the backslidden or persecuted state of the Church, the Bride of Christ, the one whom He loves and for which He laid down His life? Where are the Christians crying out against the injustice done to millions of human lives in the holocaust of abortion and euthanasia? Where are the Christians decrying the poor stewardship of our government leading to crippling debt for our children? And what shall we say of Christians standing up for morality? But should we turn to the Tea Party movement for our solution? Should we turn to our elected representatives, crying out to them for help? Should we picket and protest and lobby? Should we trust in the Constitution? Certainly these things are part of the solution, but only a small part because the problems of our day transcend the economy, politics, morality, and the Constitution. The chief problem lies in the fact that we have coldly turned our backs on God; we have left His Word and turned to idol worship; most of us live as if God does not exist though we would blush to admit that (Rom. 1:18-26).

So what is the solution? A Christian Spring of Christians uniting to pray and prostrate themselves before God. The source of a Christian Spring does not lie in the power or wisdom of princes, but in the Lord God omnipotent, Who reigns and rules the world from His throne. We are called as Christians, not to run rampant in the streets, but to run to our prayer closets, to our prayer meetings and prostrate ourselves pleading for God to remember mercy in the midst of His descending wrath (Hab. 3:1-2; Rom.1:18). The solution lies in our repentance before God, of turning from the blight that rests upon Western society – its materialism, relativism, tolerance, sensuality and godlessness. We are not untouched by these things and we are called to repent of them. The solution lies in returning to the foundation of the Word of God and His charter for humanity found in the Law, fanning the flames of zeal in our hearts and lives for His holiness. The solution lies in the redeeming power of the cross of Jesus Christ for us, our children, and our sinful society.

History proves that the solution lies in God. This is what Josiah learned (2 Kings 22). This is what Nehemiah and Ezra found out (Ezra 9-10; Neh. 1, 8). This is what Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the prophets learned. This is what Peter and the apostles learned at Pentecost. This is what countless others have learned whom God has used to bring revival. Reformation and revival comes from the sovereign hand of God, but will we not unite as Christians for a Christian Spring, rising up as one to beseech God to work, crying out, “It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law” (Ps. 119:126)? It is time to prostrate ourselves before King Jesus and plead for the outpouring of His Spirit once more, solely for His glory! The Arab Spring was only limited in its effects, but who can tell what God can do through a Christian Spring?

The Cup of Suffering

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:13:24 +0000

In these weeks of Passion, we remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. That is what the word Passion means; it means suffering. Let us pause for a moment and meditate on the cup of suffering that Jesus drank to its bitter dregs. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was pressed down with bloody sweat as He faced the bitter, bitter cup of His Father’s wrath. If we think of it in human terms, no one likes to endure the wrath of their father. Whether deserved or undeserved, children will always shrink back from their father’s anger. Even as adults, we would rather have the approval and love of our father than endure his displeasure.

We find Jesus, in His humanity, shrinking back from His Father’s wrath. He prays in Matthew 26:39, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Does this mean that Jesus did not want to go the way of the cross? On the contrary, He had committed Himself to die for sinners such as we are. He is praying for complete submission to His Father’s will as He faced the awful weight of God’s wrath against the sins of His people. The eternal fury of a holy God would rest upon Christ for these hours. He would be cut off from the Father’s favorable presence, all comfort and support lifted as Christ hung suspended between heaven and earth. Christ looked into the cup and saw the bitter, black wine of God’s wrath ready to be poured out upon Him for your sin, child of God.

And how do we know that He was willing, and that He was not just attempting to wiggle out from beneath this punishment for sin. After having prayed three times the same words, we read in verse 46, “Rise now and let us be going.” Neither did Jesus sin, by shrinking back from the cup that He faced. It was a reaction of His human nature and that is why He prayed, “Not my will but thine be done.” This shows us again that Jesus is the perfect Substitute, the only one who could drink this cup of God’s wrath to its last drop.

For those who have drunk the cup of salvation, you will never know what the wrath of God is because Christ has taken it away. He is the propitiation for our sins. He is the umbrella as it were that deflects the wrath of God from us as we shelter in Him time and again. The sobering contrast is that for you who do not believe in Christ, you will be exposed and unshielded from the wrath of God in eternity. The beauty of these Passion weeks is not only for believers to remember the suffering and death of Christ as He grappled with the cup of His suffering for us, but the beauty of Passion is also found in the fact that Christ is offered perhaps more clearly and succinctly for the lost who need to find shelter from the wrath of God against sin. Where are you finding shelter this Passion season?

How Will You Hear the Word?

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:46:05 +0000

The end of another year is a time of reflection. How have we heard the Word of God? Have we heard it with profit? If Jesus returns to find fruit, will He find it? The beginning of another year is a time of looking ahead and asking the same question. How will I hear the Word of God in 2012? In speaking the parable of the sower, or of the soils, Jesus shows that He is the Sower who sows the Word, “the glad tidings of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1). He sows His own Word. He sows the message of sin and salvation. He sows the message of life in Himself. He does so every time we hear the Word. He sows widely – the Word falls on all sorts of soils, that is, on all types of hearts, on all types of people. The Word goes out to every language, tribe and nation. In looking back and looking ahead, we can never fault the Sower, the seed, or the sowing for not having heard the Word.

Jesus then goes on to show the four different types of listeners who hear the Word. They all hear the Word, but their responses are all different. The careless listener is pictured in the seed that fell by the wayside, and it was trodden underfoot, and the fowls of the air found an easy meal (vs. 5). The careless listener is open to the wiles of the devil as Jesus makes clear in his interpretation of this parable (vs. 12). His heart is such that the devil has easy pickings and snatches away the Word before it is able to take effect. The devil works in such a way that the careless listener becomes contemptuous of the Word.

There is also the rocky listener. They are pictured in the seed that fell upon the rock, but withered away as soon as it sprung up because there was no moisture to sustain it (vs. 6). Jesus says in verse 13, “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” This is a most sobering picture of someone who has heard the Word but falls away because temptation takes the upper-hand. How are you hearing the Word?

There is the choked listener. The seed is sown among thorns and that says Jesus is a picture of someone who hears the Word, but the effects of the Word are choked out because of the cares of this world and the pursuit of pleasure and wealth (vs 7, 14). If you are reading this, does this not speak to you? As parents we have so many cares and concerns. As seniors, we have so many physical cares. As young people, there are many temptations to pursue wealth and pleasure. All this can choke out the Word. How then can we hear the Word of God?

The solution is that we must hear with a good and honest heart – the seed must fall upon good soil in order to bear fruit. That only takes place in the heart through the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit as the Sower sows the Word in our hearts and we are led to embrace that Word. Take stock of your lives. Has your heart been good and honest before God? Have you kept and are you resolved to keep the Word in your heart? Are you bearing fruit with patience, with endurance? If we are honest with ourselves, we must confess that our hearts are too much like the previous three categories: hard, careless and choked by the cares and pleasures of the world. But Christ is the Sower. He not only sows, but He is the Seed that causes us to bear fruit because He Himself had the perfect heart that was perfectly receptive to His Father’s will. He is the One in whom our hearts can be changed and cleansed. He takes the Word and brings life. He waters the seed by the rain of His Spirit. Is this Word offensive to you? Or has it led you to deal honestly with your heart before God and seek the Savior? How will you hear the Word this year?

His Name Shall be Jesus

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:15:46 +0000

What is in a name? If parents are expecting a child, they often spend much time finding a name that pleases them both and will suit their child. Hopefully a meaningful name is chosen that the child can live with for the rest of their lives. In Matthew 1:20-21, another child is named. The angel reassures Joseph about the new life growing in Mary’s womb. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This child would receive a name—Jesus. The meaning of that name is made very clear, “And thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” If you were to break down this name it would be a compound name—Jehovah saves. It is this Name and Person that is central to the message of Christmas.

What’s in Jesus name? Everything. To the believer, it is the most beautiful Name in the world because He has saved us from their sins. To the sinner, lost in sin and darkness, this Name pierces that darkness and sin with a message of hope and salvation. He shall save His people from their sins. There is so much gospel contained in this one name of Jesus. It fits His character perfectly. He is the Lord and He saves.

From the moment He was conceived and given this name by the angel, the cross was already in view. The Name ‘Jesus’ meant that He had to save sinners through the way of the cross. He had to bear the wrath of God against sin. He had to suffer and die to fulfill this name. He had to rise again from the dead to validate His Name as Jesus. He was an ordinary baby, born in the pain and agony of childbirth. He was in all respects a normal child, growing in every aspect into adulthood. But he was much more than that. He is Jesus—the Lord who saves.

Do you know this Name in a personal saving way? If you do, praise be to God! If you don’t, flee to Him with all your sin and receive salvation because that is what He came to do—He shall his people from their sins. If you don’t flee then you will be forced to bow and confess the Name of Jesus, but not in a saving way, but in a way that will serve to your condemnation. The message of Christmas is one of hope. It is a message of a Name and what that Name came to do on the cross. What’s in His name for you this Advent season?

Thanksgiving at Your Own Will

HNRC — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:47:05 +0000

Time hastens on and we find ourselves approaching another Thanksgiving Day. It is good to pause and take time to reflect on what the Lord has done for us. Many of the Psalms are reflective of God’s enduring mercy and steadfast love towards sinners and that is indeed the reason for thanksgiving. If it were not for the Lord’s mercies, we would be consumed. If it were not for the Lord’s mercies, we would not have the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed to us. If it were not for the Lord’s mercies, we would not enjoy the manifold material blessings that we have received from day to day. These are all reasons for thanksgiving, but have we ever thought about the manner of giving thanks?

Leviticus 22:29 gives us a vital lesson in how we are to give thanks, “And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.” This Thanksgiving Day, we are called to focus on the Giver of every blessing we have received, but the question is, “How will we do that?” Will we do so grudgingly perhaps because we want to hoard what we think is really ours? Will we do it generously but secretly hoping for some special reward? Will we give thanks but only pay lip service to thanksgiving? Will we give thanks realizing that all things we have received are God’s? There are so many ways in which people give thanks, but this verse from Leviticus tells us that when we offer thanksgiving back to the Lord, we must offer it at our own will.

Thanksgiving does not merely mean that since God has given us so much, we will give a certain amount back to Him. Thanksgiving is left open to our wills. We can will to withhold from God what rightfully belongs to Him. The New Testament equivalent to this verse in Leviticus is 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” God does not force us to give thanks to Him. If that were the case, it would not be heartfelt thanksgiving, but mere acknowledgment of things we have received from Him. Thanksgiving is clearly a matter of the will or of the heart. The word in the Hebrew gives the idea of thanksgiving with pleasure, or good will.

Consider also the sacrifice of Christ. If all the sacrifices were fulfilled in His one sacrifice on the cross, then this thank offering was also fulfilled by Christ. How do you think Christ offered Himself? Did He not do so willingly? Did the thank offerings of Leviticus 22:29 already tell the Israelites that there was one who was eager to give Himself in the place of His people as the ultimate thank offering? Christ Himself said through the psalmist, “I do delight to do thy will, O my God” (Ps. 40:8). He gave His all for those who can give nothing in return. How will you give thanks this Thanksgiving Day? Will we heed the command this Thanksgiving Day 2011 of Psalm 100:4, which states, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name?”

Crisis after Carmel: Crying

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:35:31 +0000

In the last meditation we found Elijah in the midst of heated conflict with Ahab and Jezebel. Behind that conflict we see the cosmic conflict between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The stark reality is that we are on either side of that battle. If we are the Lord’s we are on His side. If we are not the Lord’s we are still fighting for the kingdom of darkness. Elijah fought hard and he was discouraged, depressed and hopeless. The fight had gone out of him. He had done heroic things for the Lord, but now he wrenches a cry from the depths of his being.

He flees for his life from the scene of the battle. He flees to Beersheba, leaves his servant there, and goes a day’s journey into the wilderness. He finds a juniper tree, lays down and in his darkness of soul, Elijah cries out in despair. He cries out to God in verse 4, “It is enough; now, O LORD.” He has taken all he can bear and cries out in his despair to God. He has done all he could and it does not seem to be enough. He appeals to God. He opens his soul before God. He lets God know what is on his mind, heart and soul. Some would say that Elijah’s faith is dead, but here we see it working. His faith appeals to the LORD. The very fact that he appeals to the LORD, the God of the covenant, proves that Elijah’s faith is alive and well, though darkened as to its perspective. Elijah is human, a man of like passions as we are (James 5:17). He has had enough of the battle; he seeks reprieve in the LORD’s presence.

This cry of despair turns into a cry of death. It would seem better to die than to live and face the defeat and darkness that he is undergoing now. He cries out, “Take away my life.” What is Elijah suggesting? Is he suggesting that suicide is a valid option to end his struggle? No, he calls on God to take his life. He does not want to infringe on God’s domain, who is the Giver and Taker of life. This is the experience of all God’s people in situations like Elijah. Think of Job. He cursed the day of his death and longed for death because then he would be at rest. Think of Paul. He was pressed down and despaired even of life. Think of Jeremiah. He uses similar language to that of Job in longing for death. Think of the Psalmist in Psalm 88. He too, was plunged into darkness and counted as one of the dead. Suicide is never an option, but what Elijah’s experience suggests is that God’s people often think that death offers rest from the trials of this life. Crises of faith can lead to the point where a child of God wishes to be dead and with the Lord for that is far better. However, they always appeal to God to take life, so that perhaps they might be put at rest.

The cry of death turns into a cry of disparagement. Elijah in his sorrow and depression begins to have a distorted view of reality. He feels his apparent failure acutely. He begins to compare himself to his forefathers. He doesn’t measure up and he disparages himself, “I am not better than my fathers.” Elijah’s perspective of others is clouded. His self-esteem is under attack and he fails to see what he had done. He feels that his own accomplishments pale in comparison to what his forefathers have done for the LORD. He fails to realize the great victory that the LORD has worked through him.

Again we see the depths to which the people of God can come. It seems that all reason is blocked out. There is despair, death and disparagement all around. Nothing seems to go well and it is better to be with the LORD than to be in our present circumstances, but suicide is never an option. There is often pleading with the LORD to take away our affliction and depression, but as we’ll see later, the LORD has a blessed purpose even in times of darkness. Perhaps this is your cry, with faith seemingly dead. Just when faith seems to be dead, the LORD the elicits a cry of help and desperation from his people, demonstrating where the anchor of their faith really lies, in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that pitiful cry that Christ honors. Is He the Anchor of your faith?

Crisis after Carmel: Conflict

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 02:36:38 +0000

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah boldly defies the priests of Baal, discrediting them before all the people and King Ahab, and then utterly destroying each of the priests. Elijah prevailed with God and pled for fire and rain from heaven. Crisis looms just around the corner in the form of Jezebel in 1 Kings 19:1-4.

Hell’s fury is unleashed against Elijah as King Ahab relays what has happened upon Mt. Carmel to Queen Jezebel. Jezebel immediately sends out a servant to find Elijah and she swears by her gods that what happened to the priests of Baal would happen to Elijah the very next day (1 Kings 19:2). Jezebel acts in blind rage as an instrument of the devil. The devil has met defeat at the hand of God as the battle is played out between the wicked and false priests of Baal and the prophet of the LORD, Elijah.

What does Elijah do in response to Queen Jezebel? He fled for his life (1 Kings 19:3). There was no longer a safe haven for Elijah and it seems futile to remain where there is such hostility to God. Triumph quickly ends in tragedy. God’s mercy is spurned by Jezebel’s murderous heart. Elijah’s confrontation with Baal turns into conflict with the Baal worshipper Jezebel. Bravery turns into banishment.

We cannot fault Elijah for what he did, can we? There are some people who would and try to explain Elijah’s behavior in this way – Elijah is depressed because he is cowardly. He fails to stand up to Jezebel and flees to save his own skin. Elijah is simply going on a pity party out into the desert and thus forsakes his ministry in the land of Israel. Depression is for the cowardly.

But another, more biblical explanation is this – Elijah is depressed because he is courageous. He is at the forefront of the battle for the LORD. Emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually, Elijah has come down from Mt. Carmel. Elijah has exerted himself to show that God is the LORD. He has faced four hundred prophets of Baal and fully expects a revival in the nation of Israel from the leadership downwards. When this expectation is met with rebellion, hardness and death threats, Elijah flees for his life, thinking that his efforts are futile. The prophet is depressed and does not need confrontation but comfort – he has hit rock-bottom. This is clear from how the LORD deals with him from beginning to end in order to restore him. If the LORD had rebuked Elijah at this point, he would have been utterly broken.

Here we see that the people of God are often faced with frontal attacks from Satan when they are on the front lines of the battle and doing mighty deeds for the LORD. Their perspective of themselves, of others and of God is skewed. It is like taking a photograph in dark conditions. The objects are all there but they are darkened. A child of God undergoes depression for a variety of causes, but it is usually not because they are being cowardly. Yes, Elijah’s faith is at low ebb, but it is that way because his faith has been at high tide on Carmel. Is this not true of God’s people today as well? When you’ve been on the heights of Carmel, defeating the enemies of sin, Satan and self in your life and just when it seems victory has been achieved, the devil slips in one more arrow and you plunge into the depths, losing all perspective and things become dark and grim and you cry out to God. God will hear and comfort.

Lessons in Affliction

HNRC — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:53:26 +0000

When affliction comes our way, what is God teaching us? What is the value of affliction? In Psalm 119:71 the Psalmist says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Is this our confession when God sends us afflictions or do we murmur and complain that God does not understand what He is doing? So often the latter response is the case. We think we know better than God because we have not learned the important lessons in afflictions. But there are invaluable lessons that we can learn from afflictions.

One lesson we can learn during our afflictions is that they are not about us, but about God. When God sends us an affliction, it is to get our attention to the fact that God is in control of our lives. Afflictions are meant to draw our attention to God. This fact alone is worth every affliction that God could send our way. So often we go through life without little thought of God. Afflictions have a way of bringing life to a screeching halt and leading us to see that we are finite human beings and God is the infinite, Almighty and all-knowing God. That is why the Psalmist said it was good to have been afflicted. It drove him back to God and His statutes. Similarly, affliction ought to drive us back to God and His Word. As we do so, we will learn that God is not afflicting us arbitrarily, but that He is doing so as our Heavenly Father and that He might do us good at our latter end (Deut. 8:5,16).

Another lesson we can learn during affliction is that God is more concerned about our salvation and sanctification than He is concerned about our usefulness in any particular area of life. That is a staggering thought! When sickness sets in or unemployment hits, or natural disasters strike, our lives can be rendered seemingly useless in a moment. Our first thought is, what am I going to do now? But have you ever considered this thought, “What is God telling me now? How am I going to be changed through this affliction? How will I be more fit for glory?” Such a mindset gives a different perspective in affliction – it gives a certain element of sweetness to know that Christ is being formed in us, rather than our own wretched sinful nature being perpetuated.

Again, afflictions can draw out what is in our own hearts. Samuel Rutherford once wrote to a lady during her affliction in this way, “Your heart has been pierced open by this affliction to show what is really in your heart.” Afflictions are sent to show our true mettle to others around us. We are always giving a witness in the midst of affliction. Afflictions will tell others where our trust is – whether in God or in ourselves. Afflictions will be used or abused. When they are used rightly, we will use them to witness to others about the goodness of God. When we abuse them, we will complain and murmur against God for dealing us another blow. What is in your heart?

Is it good that you have been afflicted because it brought you to reckon with God again? Is it good that you have been afflicted because it brought you to trust in Christ for the first time or afresh? Is it good that you have been afflicted because it taught you to glorify God and be a witness of the goodness of God to others? If so, that is the only way it can be good to have been afflicted.

Heartburn of a Different Kind

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:11:47 +0000

This weekend marks the commemoration of Christ’s death and resurrection for the Christian church across the world. The question is whether the crucified and risen Lord causes our hearts to burn within us (Luke 24:13-35)?

Some 2,000 years ago, two men were traveling to a town called Emmaus. They were conversing about the events that had happened in Jerusalem concerning Jesus; a prophet well known for his power and mighty acts. They were sorrowing in their hearts as they remembered Jesus. They had pinned their hopes on Him as the redeemer of Israel (Luke 24:21). As they spoke, with his identity concealed, Jesus came alongside them. What a wonder as their spirits were troubled that Jesus came alongside them and drew them out about their sadness! This is no less true for troubled sinners today.

They told him everything that had happened. Jesus was crucified, laid in the grave, and now several women found the grave empty. As Jesus heard this, he chides them for their unbelief in the Word of God, which testified that all these things would come to pass, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” Jesus brings them face to face with the necessity of His death and resurrection – it was necessary for God to be reconciled to the world and sinners to be reconciled to Himself.

Jesus did not simply chide them. He sought to bring Scripture to bear on their unbelief and let Scripture speak about His work and clear away the fog of unbelief. He began with Moses and the prophets and expounded the Word of God showing Himself in all of Scripture. Their hearts began to burn within them. He remained with them at their request and broke bread, and blessed it, reminiscent of the Last Supper. It was there that they recognized the Savior — in the act of breaking bread they came face to face with the reality of who Jesus was.

Their response was, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Their heartburn was of a different kind — it was spiritual heartburn. Their hearts burned with love for their Savior as He heard them expound the Scriptures and clear away misunderstandings. The risen Lord communed with them and their hearts burned within them. Is your heart burning within you for the crucified and risen Lord? Do you have heartburn of a different kind? A pleasant heartburn, for which the only cure is more of Christ?

God’s Snowstorm

Pastor Kuivenhoven — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:06:41 +0000

Radar maps yesterday showed a huge storm tracking its way across the United States. As I witnessed the snow whipping and the wind whistling around the eaves from the warmth and safety of our home, I was reminded of God’s great power. As I was shoveling this morning, seeing the 15 inches of snow, I was reminded of God’s great power. As I witness the shutting down of entire cities and regions of the country I am reminded of God’s great power. The storm was unstoppable. Man in all his ingenuity and invention is powerless to prevent a winter storm of yesterday’s magnitude. We can predict it, we can track it on radar, we can clean up in its aftermath, but we cannot stop the power of God. All we could do was find shelter in the face of such power. It is precisely His own power that God seeks to bring to Job’s attention as Job questioned God’s power and providence. Job was in the eye of the storm of trial and tribulation. He questioned God’s goodness, wisdom, providence and power in the midst of his suffering.

God in turn questions Job and says, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail… Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it” (Job 38:22, 29)? God highlights his power in nature and in the sustaining of His creation. Yesterday’s storm ought to turn us to reflect on the power of God in every detail of our lives. A storm is not merely a natural phenomenon that shuts everything down. It is meant to cause us to reflect on God and who He is. He is the Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth. He brings the snow and wind. He deposited every flake of snow that fell last night.

But what is Job’s response to these questions and all the other questions God asks in Job 38-41? Job replies in humility, “I know that thou canst do every thing, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2). Job turned to God and rather than continuing to question God, finding shelter in God’s forgiveness in Christ. I wonder how many people who have witnessed the snow and ice and wind and rain from yesterday’s storm are confessing that God can do everything? I wonder how many of us abhor ourselves (our sin) and repent at the sight of God’s great power? It was not a freak of nature, but a call of Almighty God to bring us to find shelter in Christ. If we are not finding shelter in Christ, a far greater and more furious storm of God’s wrath awaits because of sin. Are you heeding the message of God’s power in yesterday’s storm?