His Billows
God's trials are a means of growth and character development, and He promises to bring us through them safely.
Charles E. Cowman preaches about the waves and billows of life being under God's control, whether they bring challenges or blessings, and how God promises to bring us through them to a place of safety and peace. He emphasizes that God uses trials and conflicts as opportunities for us to grow stronger and develop a grand character, just like trees that grow stronger when faced with storms and hardships.
Text
"All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me" (Ps. 42:7).
They are HIS billows, whether they go o'er us,
Hiding His face in smothering spray and foam;
Or smooth and sparkling, spread a path before us,
And to our haven bear us safely home.
They are HIS billows, whether for our succor
He walks across them, stilling all our fear;
Or to our cry there comes no aid nor answer,
And in the lonely silence none is near.
They are HIS billows, whether we are toiling
Through tempest-driven waves that never cease,
While deep to deep with clamor loud is calling;
Or at His word they hush themselves in peace.
They are HIS billows, whether He divides them,
Making us walk dryshod where seas had flowed;
Or lets tumultuous breakers surge about us,
Rushing unchecked across our only road.
They are HIS billows, and He brings us through them;
So He has promised, so His love will do.
Keeping and leading, guiding and upholding,
To His sure harbor, He will bring us through.
--Annie Johnson Flint
Stand up in the place where the dear Lord has put you, and there do your best. God gives us trial tests. He puts life before us as an antagonist face to face. Out of the buffeting of a serious conflict we are expected to grow strong. The tree that grows where tempests toss its boughs and bend its trunk often almost to breaking, is often more firmly rooted than the tree which grows in the sequestered valley where no storm ever brings stress or strain. The same is true of life. The grandest character is grown in hardship. --Selected
Sermon Outline
- God is in control of our trials
- God's presence is felt in our trials
- God's trials can lead to growth
- Hardship can strengthen our character
- The grandest character is grown in hardship
Key Quotes
“They are HIS billows, whether they go o'er us, Hiding His face in smothering spray and foam; Or smooth and sparkling, spread a path before us, And to our haven bear us safely home.” — Charles E. Cowman
“They are HIS billows, and He brings us through them; So He has promised, so His love will do.” — Charles E. Cowman
“Stand up in the place where the dear Lord has put you, and there do your best.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- We can trust God in the midst of turmoil because He walks with us and promises to bring us through safely.
- We should respond to God's silence by trusting in His love and faithfulness, and continuing to do our best in the place where He has put us.
- God's trials can lead to growth and the development of a grand character, so we should not be discouraged by hardship, but rather see it as an opportunity for growth.