Comfort In The Storm

Storm

Posted by Julie Edensor on 11 July 2016 | Comments

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The Lord has been showing me that there can be darkness in our lives in order to get us to cleave to the light (Christ) , but also there are lions and beasts in us (Our old nature), they’re fierce, and you know, (the enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour - 1Peter 5 v 8).

He wants to devour us, but you will see that in Psalm 104 v 22 once the sun comes up, that lion, that fierce thought in you has to go back to its den!  So we have to see that the enemy has no power greater than the One who is sitting above the flood of our corruption!  There may be darkness to make us want the light. If we see people who have gone through terrible circumstances in their lives, they’re the ones closest to Jesus, but the ones who have mediocrity in their lives don’t want to be with Jesus.  We want to be where Jesus is moving by His Spirit, my main thought is, “When the sun comes up, the fierce beast has to go back to his den!”  In John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” he say’s the lions are chained. Our great King is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, He has stripped our chains, broken them and freed us. He’s the true Lion! 

You know the other ones, the fierce ones those who would try to eat and devour you, they’re the ones about whom God says, “You’ve been only allowed a certain amount of time to make My servant want My safety.” 

Let’s look at Psalm 104 (please read the whole chapter):  Now you are His work today and He cares for you. And He cares for us as a baby is taken care of by its mother and father. It’s a picture of us almost unable to bear the burdens ourselves and look after ourselves. God is saying, “I am taking care of you.” Look again at Psalm 104 v 18, The high mountains are for the wild goats. God wants us to live on the mountains, that’s above our difficulties and we’re to be free like the wild goats, and we’re to eat the green, living, beautiful things. It says in Psalm 104 v 16 “the trees of the Lord drink their fill” That’s what we’re to be. We’re the trees of the Lord we’re going to clap our hands but to keep us alive in the Lord we have to eat the green things, the green thing is this word of God. So when you see the word sun it is a picture and type of Christ The Son of God. When you see moon, is a picture and type of the Church. The silver moon speaks of Redemption as it shines it reflects always the sun (Church should reflect Christ).

But it notice says, “He made the moon for the seasons.”  Now I’d say that in every season the moon has somehow got to shine, because the sun knows the place of it’s setting. He knows when his works will be done.  Psalm 104 v 20 says “Thou dost appoint darkness and it becomes night in which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.”  If we’ve got a beast coming to us in the night, a fierce thought, fear, they come in the night. They won’t come in the day because we won’t be frightened, but we get plagued with wrong thoughts in the night. But God has allowed the night to be in our lives, in the darkness and the difficulty, but He says He’s clothed Himself with light.  In Psalm 104 v 21 He says, “The young lions roar after their prey.” But you cry out and say, “Lord, I need Your help, come and help me,” Now it may be that there’s some demons in your life today, some wrong thoughts, some fears, some regrets, some doubts and they’re not being quiet in your life.  They’re roaring after their prey. And their prey is us. The offering we should give to the Father we give to them instead. We spend time with our thoughts, our doubts, our fears, we let them come and prowl around in our thinking.  Psalm 104 v 21-22 says The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God. When the sun rises (read that as Son of God) they withdraw. 

When somebody’s miserable, when somebody’s struggling, when somebody’s frightened it’s because they’re in the darkness of the night and the lions are prowling around after them. But as soon as the sun comes up, as soon as we bring that person to Jesus, talk to them about the Lord, witness to them, open the Bible with them, sing with them, then when the sun comes up they (the lions) have to withdraw and the response will be, “Oh I’m feeling a bit better now.”  The lions have lain down in their den.  Now Psalm 104 v 23 says “Man goes forth to his work and his labour until evening.”  So if we look at it the other way He’s saying that when we’ve got these thoughts we’re not able to work. We’re not able to work in our physical job as best we can, but we’re not able to do the work of the Lord, and the work of the Lord is to proclaim the Kingdom, but we can’t do that if we’ve got these demonic thoughts coming into our heads all the time. We can’t do it, so where we’ve got doubt, fear, unbelief, even disobedience, whatever it is today, we’ve got to say, “I pray Father that Your Son rises in my heart and when the light comes into me those beasts will go back to their dens, because You have appointed it so!”  So God wants us free to work till the evening because He’s going to return isn’t He? 

Psalm 104 v 5/6 is about the flood, it’s about water and we know that in the Bible, the sea is about corruption and it says the sea casts up all mire. It casts up all wrong thoughts. 

In Genesis 1 v 9-10 God let the dry land appear and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and it was on the third day.  In Luke 24 v 46 After Jesus died on the cross, He rose again on the third day.  That was the day that the mountain rose up, dry land out of our corruption. Isn’t that wonderful?  We are thinking the way the resurrected Jesus thought, He’s done with all the waters, He’s done with the corruption and He’s been raised up!  In Psalm 104 v 5 it says “He established the earth upon its foundation “. So He’s established the resurrection ground in the middle of your corruption.  “So that it will not totter forever and ever.” (totter or move out of place) He says the resurrection life inside of us will not move out of place, because that’s where He wants us to think high thoughts, He wants us to be like the goat upon the mountain. So He’s established the resurrection ground in us (the earth) upon it’s foundations, so that it will not totter forever and ever, or move out its place.  Now, He’s recognizing that in our normal life difficulties will come.  Every church that stands for the truth is going through tremendous difficulties, and God would say to them today, “Come out of that sea of corruption, come out of where it’s always restless, the sea that throws up all this mire and come back on to the dry land.” 

And God says, that where they look as if they’re tottering, they will not totter forever, they will not be moved out of their place because He will establish them.  From verse 9 onwards Psalm 104 speaks of the work of resurrection.  When I am living in resurrection power verse 9 says “You have set a boundary that they (the waters) may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth.”  God is speaking about the water here. Psalm 104 v 6 says “You did cover it with the deep as with a garment, the waters,” (that means your corruption) “were standing above the mountains.”  There are people today and I’m telling you that I know that their corruption is above the mountain of God in their lives. They’re not on the mountain eating the green things and glorifying the Lord in majesty and splendour.  They’re allowing the water of corruption to rise right up above the mountain, but the Lord has got a wonderful word for that, He says, in Psalm 104 v 7 onwards ”At thy rebuke,” (O Jesus come and help me) “they fled. At the sound of Thy thunder” what did they do? “They hurried away. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which You did establish for them.”  Then He says, “I have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth” So we know when we have problems as Christians, and corruption raises it’s ugly head, we can say “You said at Your rebuke this will flee and it will not ever come back up to stand above that.”

When we were born again the new earth has come, the resurrection ground is there, it will never be above the mountain in your lives again, then rejoice and say, “Yes I have fierce thoughts. I have thoughts against God maybe, I have thoughts against the way He’s dealing with me in my life, maybe I’m thinking that, but Lord I thank You that the lion is chained and that lion is going to have to go back to it’s place at the right time!  Turning to Mark 6 v 45/52 we read of Jesus walking on the water towards His disciples who were in a boat. Again water, the sea is corruption. The sea is the gates of hell and Jesus walks on the top of it towards them.  He invited Peter to come to Him on the water, He said, “Peter, come and walk on top of the corruption with Me.”  Is the world corrupt? Is the government corrupt?  All the systems that we might trust in, are all corrupt. They are all falling down! The god of this world (Satan) has so filled the minds of people in power that they have wrong motives for what they do. The only One who will have the government upon His shoulders where the people will have true freedom and healing is Jesus! He’s going to heal the broken hearted and bind up their wounds. 

Can you say that today “Jesus is walking on my corruption, He’s the King who sits above the flood of any corruption that’s going to come over me. Jesus walks on my corruption!  Does He need to come and walk on the water of our corruption? Yes!

Mark 6: 45-56:

49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost and cried out. 
50 For they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” So He came to them in their need!
51 And He got into the boat with them and the wind stopped and they were greatly astonished, 
52 And they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves but their heart was hardened. 53 “And when they had crossed over they came in to land and they moored on the shore. (We’re going to come out of our difficulties)
54 “And when they had come out of the boat,” (they were no longer restricted) the “people recognized Jesus (This is a picture of the millennial reign, the hardening of hearts is just before Jesus comes back and today people are wondering why they’re still carrying on being faithful, but we have to see He has constrained us to get in a boat and go across a sea of corruption so that He can walk over to us, and we can say, “I know with all my heart that Jesus Christ has come and helped me!”  And when we say, “I know His love” we then witness to somebody else and say, “I can assure you, I can introduce you to Him, because He has helped me.” God’s allowing the storm to come so that He might come to us in the middle of our corruption. He doesn’t walk away from us when we’re in corruption, He’s running to us, He’s walking towards us, He knows, He says, “I know you’re going to get to the other side. I’m confident you are getting to the other side. I’m coming to meet you and I’m going to help you get across. I’m getting in the boat and identifying with the stricture and the difficulty of the cross you’re in and I’ll come. Grab hold of Me.” He says I’m taking you to the other side.”
55 they ran about that whole country, and began to carry about on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was. 
56 And wherever He entered villages or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the - market places (Now the market places are where people meet. That’s where we need to - be where people meet in the market places) and entreating Him that they might just - touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured. 

Lets - turn to - Revelation 3 v 14/ 22 The message to the church of Laodicea portrays the – apostate church of the last days.  Who wants to be in a church - where it’s lukewarm? 
Verse 14 He’s the Amen, the faithful and - true witness, the beginning of the creation of - God, He says this: 
Verse 15 “I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor - hot; I would that you were cold or hot. (Have Me or don’t have Me. Love Me or don’t love Me. Stay in your corruption - or come on to the mountain.)
Verse 16 So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold “(So He Lets you know what lukewarm is) He says, “I will spit you out of My mouth.” And the meaning of the word there in the Greek is vomit. “I will vomit -you out My mouth. If you can’t get warm for Me,” He says, “I’m going to vomit you out of My mouth.”  (So we’re going to be hot or cold, we’re going to love Him with all your heart or have no interest in Him, but you can’t be in the middle.) 
Verse 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, I have need of nothing,” (“I don’t need a Saviour walking on my corruption towards me,” some say.) and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 
Verse 18 I advise you to buy from Me, gold refined by fire that you may become rich, and white garments that you may clothe yourself and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes you may see.  (I’m saying, “I’m in the middle of corruption, I’m in a boat I don’t want to be in, I’m restricted, the wind’s blowing And I want Him to walk towards me,” - He calls us out of the boat, He says, “Come and walk on top of your corruption with me, stay above the corruption, walk with Me.” Hallelujah!  Even the wind and the waves obey Him. He says we don’t know that we are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, so He has to put us in a boat because we didn’t understand what the feeding of the 5000 was about, He says, “I’ve got to restrict you, I’ve got allow you to be in the midst of corruption so that you will be so desperate for Me.).

Then He says in Rev 3 v 19 Those whom I love I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore and repent.” 
He says
Rev 3 v 20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock; If anyone hears My voice (He doesn’t say, “And I know you want Me”) and opens the door I will come in to him, (the very one who wants Me) and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
Then He says, 
Rev 3 v 21 “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My ———throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Rev 3 v 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” 
Just go back to
Rev 3 v 7, The church of Philadelphia, again He’s saying  “He who is holy who is true, who has the key of David, who opens (doors) and no one will shut, and who shuts (doors) that no one opens says this:  Rev 3 v 8 “I know your deeds. Behold I have put before you an open door.” “My door to you is open”, He says “Do you want Me?” and He says, “This open door to you no one can shut.” 

Jesus Walks On the Water. This is one of the most important sections in Mark’s Gospel because He’s showing us here that after the 5000 had been fed (Mark 6 v 44) by Christ, even then, the disciple’s hearts were hardened. Their corruption is evident, but He is above corruption!  However, morning has come everyone is healed. But just think back, He re-joins the ‘remnant’ (in the boat) and puts an end to all their difficulties!  There weren’t many of them in that boat and He’s on a mountain praying!  He’s on Zion today, that heavenly glorious place. That’s where He’s calling us to go. He will come one day to re-join His remnant. He will put an end to all their difficulties.  Meanwhile we are His testimony and He is testing our affections. 

He says, “I know you only have a little power,” and maybe for us “you only have a little power left and have kept My word and have not denied My name.”  Here He is, He’s walking on the water with a question for me. He says this, “Do you want Me? Do you want Me in your life? Do you want Me to take you out of that boat to walk with Me over any corruption that’s in your life.”  We can reply “I don’t want You to pass me by! I need You! I want You, and if I don’t understand how much I need You then Lord let more difficulties come my way so that I respond to You.”

The disciples were frightened when they saw Him walking on the water.  He says to them, “Take courage, it is I don’t be afraid,” (Mark 7 v 50). He’s on the fourth watch, Jesus is coming soon for His church and He says to us, “This is just your worst moment, the night is just before the dawn.” The fourth watch, by the way, is in the early hours between 3 and 6 o’clock. It’s just before the dawn breaks. He says, “The light is coming. Can’t you see Me coming towards you?” He says, “I’m knocking at your door all the time, will you open the door and let Me come in My fullness and bring you a word of encouragement?”  He says, “I am superior to the storm that is within you, no matter what it is…… no matter what it is. I walk on water, I walk even on corruption, and I give you the possibility of being lifted up over it.” 

David Wilkerson speaks about the city with the walls broken down. When we persistently do something that’s against the will of God, then He does come and allows your walls to fall down. This is not the time for our walls to fall down. Jesus is up the mountain praying for us. We are on a sea of corruption but He has put us in a narrow place, just a few of us in that boat.  We’re being tossed around. But He says, “I can walk on the water towards you.” “I’m standing at the door, don’t let Me pass you by.” 

Psalm 77 is a Psalm of ‘Comfort in Trouble Recalling God’s Mighty Deeds’. 
Psalm 77 v 16 says “The waters saw Thee O, God; The waters saw Thee, they were in anguish; the deeps also trembled.”
Psalm 77 v 19 “Thy way was in the sea, And Thy paths in the mighty waters, and Thy footprints may not be known”  What is our reaction?  Psalm 77 v 1 says, “My voice rises to God, and He will hear me. 
Psalm 77 v 2a In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord? 
Psalm 77 v 2b In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness My soul refused to be comforted. 
Psalm 77 v 3 When I remember God then I am disturbed; When I sigh then my spirit grows faint” I was in corruption, He was walking towards me. He delivered me! 

Hallelujah! Jesus is on the mountain, I’m left on the sea to be a witness that Jesus is going to take us to the other side, He will come and heal the nations for a thousand years, but His way is in the sea, God’s way then is even in my corruption.” God’s way is in my corruption, because when I’m doing something wrong I will have to call out to Him to help me.  He doesn’t want me to get into corruption but I am corrupt, we’re all corrupt. God’s way was even in my corruption, and in the Bible it says, “I was laid low and He helped me”, and if I hadn’t been laid low I wouldn’t have needed the Lord’s help. “I was laid low and He helped me,” So comfort yourselves. That terrible thing where we let the Lord down, that thing that we’re still tempted to do, He is the way through that, He’s going to show us His path, His King’s highway is in the mighty waters, the waters that look as if they are going to overwhelm us, but His footprints may not be known, rather like the way He led His people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”  At the Red Sea the Israelites couldn’t escape from Pharaoh and his army until the Lord swept the sea back and turned the sea into dry land, so the Israelites went through.  

We have a God who is going ahead of us.  Look at Psalm 77 v 16 again.  Can we say today?  “The waters saw Thee.” My corruption saw You God. I suddenly woke up. I don’t want to sin like that anymore.”  The waters in me were in anguish. Why? Because they knew Jesus is coming to deliver me. Hallelujah! And then it says, “The deeps also trembled.” My water, my corruption saw Thee and was in anguish. It knew its ultimate defeat, but the deep is unknown and unrevealed.  There is a deep in us that we don’t know about. When God has dealt with one thing, and we think, “I’m glad You’ve shown me that.” He then reveals something else, and that’s the horror. The good thing is when we’re having something new revealed to us that’s even deeper. We know that God has dealt with the corruption there. it’s been exposed. Then He says, ”There’s more to come, but I can’t show it you all at once.  Recently I went to a marine aquarium where I saw some moray eels. I’d never seen a moray eel before and I was absolutely transfixed. I must have stood there, about 15 minutes watching these ugly creatures. 

They moved slowly along the bottom, their bodies really thick and very long, their mouths half open, neither open nor really shut and they had lifeless blue eyes. They were really horrible to look at. The water was a bit murky and there were lots of them, moving slowly in a languid, helpless way and almost as if they weren’t going to breathe anymore.  Occasionally one would just come and shunt another eel out of the way.  It was a picture of the filth in me, the deep that’s within unknown to me.  These creatures had never experienced the light of the sun on them and they were just languishing there. There was no life in them. They were hiding in the little rocks then just above them was a beautiful bright orange fish and it was fluorescent. It didn’t go down to the depths at their level. There was a light that shone on the orange fish and all I could think was, “That’s a hope of release isn’t it?”  Leviticus 11 v 10 says we’re not to eat anything that doesn’t have fins, anything that doesn’t have a direction. These moray eels did not have a direction. I don’t know how or what they ate because their pace was so slow. They were sad. To think they were the ugliest things I’ve ever seen in my life. It was a picture of my old nature and the old me! I really wanted to be that orange fish, but Jesus is faithful to complete in me the work He started He is my bright fluorescent orange fish and He’s lifted me above the depths, letting His sun (Son) shine on me. 

So in the fourth watch of the night there’s help coming.  We may be like Peter in Matthew 14, who was in the boat with the disciples. When they saw Jesus walking on the water, Peter said, “Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Jesus said, “Come,” which he obeyed and walked on the water but began to sink. That’s a picture of us, “of little faith.”  The heading in Genesis chapter 8 and it’s the ark and in chapter 8 the “The Flood Subsides.”  Hallelujah! If we’ve got a flood of corruption in us it’s going to subside, it’s going to subside and we will be left in a place of safety, but who wants to be in a narrow place today? It’s very hard being a Christian.  Noah was righteous before God who commanded him to build an ark in a place where it had never, ever rained. 250 miles away from the nearest stretch of water the man is building the biggest ship in town.  It was lunacy, the people thought he was insane, but he did as God instructed. Look at Genesis 6 v 22. Then the flood came. Corruption came. God promised that Noah and family would be saved from the corruption if they got in the ark, so they did and the floodwaters came.  Similarly, Jesus was saying to His disciples at Lake Gennesaret “You need to get into the boat

He made them get into the boat. Today He’s making us get into the boat, the cross of His making, because He wants to train us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 

In Genesis 8 v 3 The flood subsides. God remembers them, the ark then lands on the mountain on exactly the same day in the Jewish calendar Jesus Christ rose from the dead, not on the fourteenth day when He died but on the seventeenth day when He rose from the dead. So all those thousands of years ago to the time of the ark it was a promise that on that day Jesus Christ, the Son of God is going to rise from the dead.  He’s the only one who can take us out of the flood of your corruption and lift us up.  Genesis 8 v 4 And in the seventh month, (that’s spiritual completion) on the seventeenth day (that is - victory) the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. (That’s the day a couple of thousand years - on that Jesus Christ would rise from the dead, exactly the same day, that is the message,) and - then it says Genesis 8 v 5 “And the water decreased steadily until the tenth month, in the tenth month on the - first day of the month the tops of the mountains became visible.” - It is only when we’re in the place that God puts us, that we begin to see the high places of God, that we begin to see the mountains of God. And He’s calling us up - all the time away from all the trouble.

What I just want to show you today is in Genesis 8 v 13 He says. “It came about in - the six hundred and first year in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth.”  No more getting out and drowning, we can get out, we’re not going to drown we’re not going to be lost because Jesus is our earth, He is risen on the third day. “Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked and behold the surface of the ground was dried up.” So his family can get out. 

Genesis 8 v 15 Then God spoke to Noah saying 
versus 16 “Go out of the ark you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.” 
versus 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.  “Well,” you may think, “these beasts are likened to emotions in me that are not worthy of God. Why didn’t He deal with them in the ark?” God says, “No, I want you to know how unclean you are without a Saviour and that’s why I’m sending Jesus to cleanse the world of all sin.”  So Noah and family left the ark with all the beasts, birds and creeping things with the command that they may breed abundantly. 
Genesis 9 v  1  And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 
Versus 2 “And the fear of you and the terror of you shall be” Where? “On every beast of the earth.”   

Unclean thoughts won’t be able to defile you. The beasts that come out at night will know that when the sun (Son) rises in your heart and you begin to pray that they have to go back in their dens because the law of God has been set. Hallelujah! All the time, every day you can say, “Night in me, you’re having to give way to the morning. Unclean beasts you’re going to go back to your dens in Jesus Name.”  Do we think we can say that and really mean it?  When I can’t deal with the lion in me or a desire or a craving that’s wrong, when the Son comes up in me that law of God works and those beasts have got to go to their dens. They won’t roam in the day, they only roam in the night.  God says that, every beast shall be afraid of us, every bird of the sky, everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea have been given into our hand. 

1 Kings 13 v 11-34 The Disobedient Prophet - The account is about a prophet who disobeyed God. He listened to a false prophet who lied to him and led him astray from his true path.  Subsequently, a lion killed him as he continued on his journey.  He had listened to man’s voice instead of listening to the voice of Him who is coming walking on the water. If we don’t deal with the lion within us, the lion, the unclean thought, will stand over our carcass.  Why did the prophet disobey God? Perhaps he had been affected by the evil influence of King Jeroboam (1 Kings 13 v 1-10

We should be careful not to let even those for whom we have affection lead us away from the Lord.  God gives special recognition to those whose hearts are wholly His.  To believe that casual devotion to God is as blessed as whole hearted devotion is self-deception.  1 Kings 13 v 24 When he had gone (from his meeting with the false prophet)  a lion met him on the way and killed him.  And his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it, the lion also was standing beside the body.”  The lion got pre-eminence you see over him, yes, the unclean emotion took over.  1 Kings 13 v 25 And behold men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road.  Do you want men to pass you by and see the body of Christ thrown on the road? Well it looks like the case here, looks like it’s thrown on the road. But no because there’s a remnant still standing up as bright lamp-posts. Lampposts are mainly put up in towns and cities, O but it’s so much easier to find the road when the lampposts are there. We are lamp stands today.  God tells us to keep being a bright lamp on the dark road.”  Don’t let our body be thrown on the road with no use to it and the lion we should have dealt with standing over us. The lion will have to retreat if the sun comes up in our lives as we pray “I’m feeling terrible, I’ve got so many worries, O hallelujah sing to Jesus, His is the sceptre. Lord thank you for Your mercy, Your grace, Your goodness. 

I thank You Lord that You give me power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Lord I thank You that You said I can cast my care upon You, because You care for me. Father I thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and forever and You said I will never, never leave you or forsake you.”  Is the Son coming up? YES! Is the lion going back to his den? Yes!  When we introduce the light, he’s having to re-treat, he’s back in his den, he’s lying down in his den so we you can go on and do our work until the evening time. And our work is to go back to that sea where that boat’s in choppy waters and pull some more fish out of the sea to be disciples for Him. It’s all so easy. 

1 Kings 13 v 26: Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore, the Lord, has given him to the lion (Isn’t that sad?) which has torn him and killed him. (Why?) according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.”  Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a great preacher, and he wrote a book called “The Lions Are Loosed” and you know the lions are loosed sometimes for God to deal with us.  Now it doesn’t mean that we’re going to die, but it does mean that the man in us, the inward man who should govern the beast has died for a moment.  The lions may be loosed in judgement by the Lord. The man in us may be slain and the beast may stand over the carcass.  And then we have the great story of Baalam and his ass in Numbers 2. Again the ass, the beast took the pre-eminence over the man and when Balaam couldn’t see the angel of the Lord, God let the donkey see the angel of the Lord standing in the way. 

So you could also say “Lord, when I can’t see You, will You let the beasts in me that I’m supposed to rule see the angel of the Lord?”  Now can we see the animal faculties not only restrained by the ark, but also reduced to submission?  The lion represents fierce thoughts, and they must be stilled. When the night comes these beasts do creep forth and the young lions roar against their prey. But in the hours of darkness I’ve heard them. But then when that beautiful, merciful, glorious Son rises, I know they have to go back to their dens, and even after my regeneration lions have been loosed in me, that the man in us may be slain. The beast may be seen standing by the carcass. 

God does give a bow in the cloud and He gives the rainbow, but there wouldn’t have been a rainbow without the corruption on the earth, but we only see, half of the rainbow. That’s God’s marital symbol that we’re His bride. The other half is underneath the earth, yet to be seen, which we will see when we cross to the other side of that lake. In the millennial reign, we will see the whole circle, and if you’re resplendent around His throne.  In Revelation 4 v 3 around the throne of almighty God is an emerald rainbow, but it’s not just one half of the sphere, the whole circle is there! So when it’s dark, there’s a promise which you won’t see because it’s dark. Without the darkness, without the rain we will see the promise.  And in Ecclesiastes 11 v 4 it says that if we only watch the wind (look at the clouds) we’ll never sow, but you see He wants us to look beyond the clouds, He wants us to see the great rainbow, the great promise, “I will never flood the earth again.” Genesis 6 v 19 He said that He would never let total corruption come and take us over again, because the earth has risen and He’s the One who sits on His mountain as King above the flood, isn’t that wonderful! 

“Thank you Lord that You have so helped us to understand the great wonderful law of protection for Your people. You have a law already for those beasts in us that when the Son (sun) comes up they’ve got to go back to their den.” Hallelujah!  I see right now the corruption receding. I see One who would pass by, but I want to take hold of You and want to apprehend You so to speak. You’re saying “I’ve got a door open for you.” Then I want to open the door. You say “Behold I stand at the door and knock and if you open the door I will come in and eat with you and you - with Me.” I’m inviting You, I want You to come and eat with me, Lord. I want to thank You with all my heart today that there is a fountain for the unclean soul and we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.”

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