For over 20 years, Dr. Jay Strack has been working with young Christian leaders throughout the U.S. and teaching them have a better understanding of God's Word and His calling in their lives. The topics chosen for the Student Leadership University Study Guide Series represent part of the teaching model that Dr. Strack has developed over the years and address tough questions that young people are asking today.

WORSHIP IN THE STORM

By JAY STRACK DIANE RASO STRACK

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2006 Student Leadership University
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4185-0597-4

Contents

INTRODUCTION...................................................................5KEY............................................................................61. STUFF HAPPENS: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?.....................92. STUFF HAPPENS: Why Does It Have to Happen to Me?............................233. I KNOW THE VERSES: Why Am I So Afraid?......................................434. LEAVE ME ALONE!: But Doesn't Anybody Care?..................................595. THIS STUFF IS TOO HARD: Why Am I So Stressed?...............................756. THE ADVERSITY OF NO CHOICE: What Does God Want from Me?.....................957. THE ADVERSITY OF BAD CHOICES: Why Did I Do That?............................1118. WORSHIP IN THE STORM: Is God in Control?....................................129NOTES..........................................................................148ABOUT THE AUTHORS..............................................................153

Chapter One

STUFF HAPPENS

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

KEY SCRIPTURE

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9

IT COULD BE YOU!

As a young boy who experienced six broken homes (yes, I know it sounds like a soap opera, but that's only because it was!), I spent much of my childhood and teen years on the decks of commercial fishing boats that belonged to various stepdads, some of whom I don't even remember now. Probably, I just choose not to remember them any longer.

On the deck of a ship in the middle of an ocean or gulf somewhere, I spent many evenings staring at the stars and trying to figure out the many questions of life.

* Why am I here? * What does the future hold? * Why did this God they say is so powerful allow my life to get so out of control?

I never doubted there was a Creator or that He was powerful. Living on the sea, studying the heavens, and watching the incredible beauty and variety of creation told me He was real.

But I did doubt that I mattered to Him.

Each night on the fishing boats, there was a sorting process. Some fish made it, and some didn't. Those that didn't were thrown overboard because they didn't sell well-too many bones, too difficult to clean, or too strong a flavor. As I watched the sorting process, I was painfully aware that I might be once again sorted from my family just like those fish-too much trouble, not well liked.

Some days and nights the storms we faced on the boats were so severe that I thought we wouldn't live through them. I couldn't wait to get to land. But then I found out that life on shore held storms of its own.

The broken homes I lived in led to many fights, moving from one town to another, abandonment, and abuse. I was physically abused, sexually abused by a temporary stepbrother, labeled as slow, and the victim of much verbal abuse. Trust me, the storms in my life were just as real as the storms I encountered on the ocean. I don't know which was harder to live through.

The hardest part was trying to understand why this stuff was happening to me. I was just a kid. Didn't anyone really care?

WHY KNOW IT? Adversity is defined as: * A state or condition contrary to one of well-being. * A state of hardship or affliction; misfortune. A calamitous event.

transfuse (trans FYOOZ): to cause to pass from one to another; transmit

On the bridge from childhood to adulthood, we become painfully aware that life can be disappointing and challenging. Because you have never experienced these adversities before, even a small conflict or problem can throw you off track emotionally. Some of the adversities you might face as a teenager are: * Death of a family member or friend * Divorce * Injury * Personal or family illness * Decrease in family income * Friendship/relationship issues * Learning differences * Financial stress * Feelings of depression or hopelessness * Family conflict * Disappointment in people In a matter of moments, you go from innocent childhood to the thought that life can't get any worse. That's when frustration takes over and doubt pours in. You think, How can a kind and just God allow me to be in this situation? Don't feel embarrassed or guilty about this natural response. Even Jesus uttered on the cross, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). * * * "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9 God is God. We will not understand all of His workings in this life, but all will be revealed to us in eternity. So what do we do in the meantime? Don't fret! He has given us all that we need to not only navigate the storms in life, but to worship Him as we go through them as well.

infuse (in FYOOZ): to cause to be permeated with something (as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better

Three "Why" Questions There are three why questions that tend to take over our thought patterns when we are faced with difficult circumstances: 1. Why did God let this happen? 2. Why doesn't God care? 3. Why is there evil in the world? 1. Why did God let this happen? The first question of why may never be answered in this life. We can ask it over and over and torture ourselves with the need for an answer, but the reality is that we simply might not get one. God tells us, "I am God. Trust Me." Our faith multiplies when we understand the majesty of God and the fullness of His power. * If you don't get your question of why answered, how will it affect you? Are you willing to believe that God wants the best for you and that He will work good for you even in difficult times? THINK ABOUT IT God has demonstrated His great power through creation. You see it everywhere: * Animals so different and unique; * The grand beauty of nature; * Science that reveals the intricate workings of His creation; * The human body so complex that it has the ability to heal itself and to reproduce; * Stars that hang in place next to planets in a sky so vast it has no end; * Immense oceans with powerful...