Sailing Through the Tempest
The sermon emphasizes that true peace and strength come from experiencing and overcoming adversity through faith in God.
Charles E. Cowman preaches about finding peace and rest through conflict and adversity, emphasizing that true strength and tranquility come from enduring trials and storms. He highlights how afflictions can shatter our hopes but ultimately lead us to bind our faith to God, resulting in confidence, safety, and peace. Cowman encourages trusting in God's ability to bring calm and grace in the midst of life's tempests, reminding believers that the Lord is the source of true peace and relief.
Text
"We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place" (Ps. 66:12).
Paradoxical though it be, only that man is at rest who attains it through conflict. This peace, born of conflict, is not like the deadly hush preceding the tempest, but the serene and pure-aired quiet that follows it.
It is not generally the prosperous one, who has never sorrowed, who is strong and at rest. His quality has never been tried, and he knows not how he can stand even a gentle shock. He is not the safest sailor who never saw a tempest; he will do for fair-weather service, but when the storm is rising, place at the important post the man who has fought out a gale, who has tested the ship, who knows her hulk sound, her rigging strong, and her anchor-flukes able to grasp and hold by the ribs of the world.
When first affliction comes upon us, how everything gives way! Our clinging, tendril hopes are snapped, and our heart lies prostrate like a vine that the storm has torn from its trellis; but when the first shock is past, and we are able to look up, and say, "It is the Lord," faith lifts the shattered hopes once more, and binds them fast to the feet of God. Thus the end is confidence, safety, and peace. --Selected
The adverse winds blew against my life;
My little ship with grief was tossed;
My plans were gone--heart full of strife,
And all my hope seemed to be lost--
"Then He arose"--one word of peace.
"There was a calm"--a sweet release.
A tempest great of doubt and fear
Possessed my mind; no light was there
To guide, or make my vision clear.
Dark night! 'twas more than I could bear--
"Then He arose," I saw His face--
"There was a calm" filled with His grace.
My heart was sinking 'neath the wave
Of deepening test and raging grief;
All seemed as lost, and none could save,
And nothing could bring me relief--
"Then He arose"--and spoke one word,
"There was a calm!" IT IS THE LORD..
--L. S. P.
Sermon Outline
- The Peace Born of Conflict
- The Strong and Rested
- Faith in Adversity
- Shock and prostration
- Faith lifts shattered hopes
- Confidence, safety, and peace
Key Quotes
“This peace, born of conflict, is not like the deadly hush preceding the tempest, but the serene and pure-aired quiet that follows it.” — Charles E. Cowman
“There was a calm--a sweet release.” — Charles E. Cowman
“IT IS THE LORD..” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- When faced with adversity, remember that God's peace and presence are available to you.
- Faith can help you lift shattered hopes and find confidence and safety in God.
- Testing your faith in times of turmoil can lead to a deeper understanding of God's strength and peace.