Last week, Marianne and I took a long-overdue, much-needed vacation. We spent a glorious week with my sister and brother-in-law, nestled in a picturesque log cabin on a lake near Sevierville, Tennessee.
My story today begins with my good friend, Pastor Ron Reagan of Gum Stand Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and his lovely wife, Sandi, discovering we were coming to their neck of the woods for vacation. Brother Ron invited me to preach Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night at Gum Stand. Then, he and Sandi insisted that we stay in their new log cabin, which is located on the backwaters of the French Broad River. As if that wasn’t enough, when Ron handed us the keys to the cabin, he also gave us the keys to his pontoon boat and Seado (Jet Ski) and instructed us to enjoy ourselves. I know. It’s tough duty. But hey, somebody had to do it!!!
Sunday night I preached a sermon entitled: Life is Hard, But God is Good. I shared with the congregation how recent events in my life had been tough. I shared with them about Momma’s death. I told them about the nurse calling at 4:45 a.m. and asking to speak with Marianne, and that because Marianne works at this particular nursing home, I thought nothing about the call. I shared with them that while Marianne was speaking with the nurse, the answering machine came on and that I got up to turn it off, only to hear the nurse say, “Aaron’s momma just died.” I told them that in fifteen seconds, I went from a dead sleep to hearing that my momma had just died. At that moment … life was hard! But I also shared with them how good God was through the whole ordeal.
As I shared, the Spirit of the Lord began to manifest Himself in a way I cannot adequately describe. There was a Spirit of brokenness and healing in that service. Before that service was over, I was openly weeping before the Lord, as were many other people. God was causing us to face the pain life had inflicted and the bitterness we were harboring. Spiritual healing was taking place as God was, ever so gently, leading us to deal with our pain, hurt, and bitterness. He reminded us that even though life is hard … He is good!
Afterwards, many people came to me and shared with me what God had done for them during the service. One testimony that stands out in my memory is from a veteran pastor. He took my hand and with tears streaming down his cheeks, he said, “I’ve been a pastor for over thirty years, but for the last five or six years my wife has been in failing health. I allowed my focus to shift from the goodness of God to the sickness of my wife. I had forgotten just how good God is. Thank you for reminding me.”
I left that service knowing God had allowed me to be a part of something special. However, little did I realize that it would be Thursday afternoon before God would place the final period at the end of this sermon.
My sister, brother-in-law, Marianne, and I were playing on the lake. We were on the Seado and they were on the pontoon boat. They were headed back to the cabin. Marianne and I planned to take one more spin around the lake before heading in. So, I drove toward the boat to let them know. As I approached the boat from the rear, I got too close to the wake the boat was creating. Realizing I was too close to the wake, I leaned the Seado to the right and started to give it the gas. About this time, a rogue wave about twenty feet high struck the left side of the Seado. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little about the size of the wave, but regardless of the size, the timing was perfect. Marianne screamed, “We’re gonna flip!!!” And sure enough, she was a Prophetess of God!!! A millisecond later, she and I were bobbing up and down in the lake with the Seado floating upside down in front of us. Marianne was yelling, “Oh my nose! You broke my nose!!!” Somehow during the process, I hit her with my hand, causing her glasses to dig into the bridge of her nose. I remember thinking to myself: Well, this is certainly great. My friend loans me his boat and Seado, and I wreck the Seado and break my wife’s nose. How will I ever explain this? Fortunately, Marianne’s nose wasn’t broken, but she did have a black eye. I told somebody later, “I gave my wife a black eye and didn’t even get to enjoy doing it.” Needless to say, that didn’t go over well with her at all! She said, “You say that one more time and I’m gonna give you two black eyes and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it!” Anyway, back to my story … my sister and brother-in-law circled the boat around, and we pulled the Seado alongside and flipped it upright. Fortunately, it was okay, and I drove it back to the dock.
As I reflected on this incident, God began to speak to my heart. He brought the sermon I had preached Sunday night back into my mind. Suddenly, it all came into focus. God is a gracious and loving God Who provides us with all we need. However, sometimes rogue waves that turn our world upside down come into our lives. But the beauty of God is that he never leaves or forsakes us. When life has capsized our vessel and leaves us bobbing in the sea of life, the Old Ship of Zion pulls alongside us, and if we let Him, He will right our vessel.
The rogue waves of life come in many different sizes. Sometimes they come as death; sometimes as health problems; sometimes as broken relationships; sometimes as broken families; sometimes as money problems, and sometimes they come as sin problems. Regardless of how they come, the result is always the same. We find ourselves bobbing in the water, perhaps with a black eye, with a capsized vessel in front of us, needing help. Jesus is our help. He is there. We simply need to call upon Him.
I close today with this thought: Life is hard … bad things happen to good people … but the greater truth is … God is good!
As He pulls alongside your vessel today, I encourage you to allow Him to right your life.
Brother Aaron