Jesus sovereign on nature
“Then the wind died down and it was
completely calm” Mark 4:39
“The Word of God is real”. How many times
have you heard this phrase? Pastors preach it all the times and we repeat it
when we share the Gospel with the unbelievers.
But what happens when you have been
planning a huge event for months, all the food needed has been already
provided, the location has been booked but something unexpected happens? Does
your heart shake or you are able to keep the faith?
This is exactly what happened to us yesterday during the 2016 Welcome Picnic. God provided an amazing location (The Highbank Metro Park), a huge amount of food (not only brought by the volunteers, but also donated by Chipotle, Red Chili Asian Restaurant, Taste of Orient, United Dairy Farmers, and Starbucks), two buses donated by University Village to help pick up students, and a lot of activities prepared. The only problem was the rain. For almost one week the weather forecast had predicted thunder storms and on the day of the event it looked like it didn’t want to stop raining cats and dogs. It was unfortunate, as all the main activities were supposed to be outside and we were expecting about 300 international students.
This is exactly what happened to us yesterday during the 2016 Welcome Picnic. God provided an amazing location (The Highbank Metro Park), a huge amount of food (not only brought by the volunteers, but also donated by Chipotle, Red Chili Asian Restaurant, Taste of Orient, United Dairy Farmers, and Starbucks), two buses donated by University Village to help pick up students, and a lot of activities prepared. The only problem was the rain. For almost one week the weather forecast had predicted thunder storms and on the day of the event it looked like it didn’t want to stop raining cats and dogs. It was unfortunate, as all the main activities were supposed to be outside and we were expecting about 300 international students.
I started receiving emails and texts
whether we would host the event or not due to the heavy rain. “Rain or shine”, was my answer, but I really
hoped that a back up plan would arrive.
One hour prior to the students arrival, I was walking through the park, praying. The rain was not stopping. Then a verse came to mind: “Then the wind died down and it was completely calm”. I immediately realized the most important truth: God is the same, yesterday, today, and always. If Jesus could calm the storm 2000 years ago, He can still do it today.
I knew that this event was according to God’s will and that He can use every circumstance for His glory. In fact we know that “ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1John 5:14, 15). I kept praying with confidence that He was hearing me.
The rain stopped right before the buses arrived: our God is sovereign on nature! We all had a great time and it was such a joy to see the smiling faces of the new international students, excited to meet new friends, roast marshmallows, and play fun games.They also had the opportunity to talk to the volunteers and get to know IFI better.
One hour prior to the students arrival, I was walking through the park, praying. The rain was not stopping. Then a verse came to mind: “Then the wind died down and it was completely calm”. I immediately realized the most important truth: God is the same, yesterday, today, and always. If Jesus could calm the storm 2000 years ago, He can still do it today.
I knew that this event was according to God’s will and that He can use every circumstance for His glory. In fact we know that “ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1John 5:14, 15). I kept praying with confidence that He was hearing me.
The rain stopped right before the buses arrived: our God is sovereign on nature! We all had a great time and it was such a joy to see the smiling faces of the new international students, excited to meet new friends, roast marshmallows, and play fun games.They also had the opportunity to talk to the volunteers and get to know IFI better.
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