ONE OF MY FAVORITE quotes from Oswald Chambers reads, “Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them.” Translation: those who have gone through the storms of life with the knowledge the Lord is with them, and has disciplined himself to ride any wave and says to himself, “He has seen me through before and He will see me through again”; do not fear the storm but rather welcome adversity as refinement. Yet, this kind of comfort and trust is not produced overnight, nor is it produced with a lackadaisical, apathetic attitude and undisciplined life. The surfer has trained and disciplined for that huge wave.
If adversity produces in you fear, then you have not yet gone out into the deep. If you “lose” your peace and comfort, then you have lost sight of the prize; whatever you focus on will be magnified. If you are struggling to trust the Lord and your faith is in anything other than Him, that huge wave is revealing the idols that need to be crushed. If you isolate when adversity comes, you are immature and still a child and that wave will throw you all over the place. If you refuse correction from those who are sent to help you, you are stupid.
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
Ephesians 4:11-14
Those huge waves the disciplined saint has trained for produce the maturity needed to finish the race. The mature saint has been thrown by that wave against the Rock of salvation time and time again until there’s no more fear. Your gifting is from the Lord, not a sign of your maturity in Christ. How you go through storms and adversity reveals your maturity and character.
Tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character and character produces hope. Train and discipline yourself to ride that wave. Fear is not your friend. Do not isolate from the brethren, you show yourself to be a fool. You do not have to be tossed around like a rag doll. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. The Word of God has the ability to give you great peace, but are you focusing on the Word or the wave?
“Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.” Psalms 119:165
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