When Trouble Comes tagged: , , ,

When Trouble Comes

Posted by in Bible & Theology

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you. – Isaiah 43:1-2

It was our privilege as a church a few weeks ago to have as our guest the President of New Orleans Seminary, Chuck Kelley, and his wife Rhonda. One of the nuggets he left with us is the above set of verses.

If you have not heard his testimony concerning the aftermath of Katrina, then by all means you need to go hear it. Katrina did not leave the Seminary unscathed – every faculty member lost everything – most students who lived on ground level lost everything. And yet the stories about how God intervened and worked through His many servants inspired and encouraged my flock.

The city of New Orleans is a more fertile ground for the gospel and Baptist witness as never before because of the willingness of faculty, staff, and students of New Orleans Seminary willing to suffer, yet glorify the Lord Jesus Christ with their lives and testimony during desperate times, willing themselves to endure despite the circumstances. Also every Baptist church, association, and state mission who sent relief workers to those desperate people in need was a saving salve, a testimony for Jesus Christ, and a positive tone for Southern Baptist witness in a place bereft of such. The term “Baptist mob” has now entered the lexicon of those people living there: a term of endearment that even now eclipses the Catholic church because of the tepid response by Rome in a region where Catholicism was considered a monopoly.

Trouble always is around us, be it hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, or floods. Yet God can be found in trouble, and God’s people are in focus when trouble comes. It is we who are lifted up, the redeemed, of whom “the waters pass by” as we go forward, upward and onward. We may lose all, yet our strength lies not in the material possessions we have lost, but in that which we still cling – the promise of God and our faith, “the house built on the rock” which will not be tossed aside by the violence of the world. It is this serenity and peace in these troubled times that keeps us strong, and leads the inquiring minds around us to ponder.

Keep this in mind when troubles come. Others are watching with great interest. How will you respond in that time?