Good afternoon, I'm Darryl Bailey. Thank you for tuning us in this Sunday afternoon as we get into the wonderful Word of God, amen. I'm glad that as we look and realize that God knows exactly what we need, amen. I was looking for a song that I had here somewhere with me, amen, and it looks like I've laid it down. Don't really see it in front of me Anyway, I thank God. Thanks for tuning us in this afternoon as we look at the wonderful Word of God Here this afternoon. I want to send out this to all of our pastors because today's pastor appreciation day is And so through that pastor appreciation, I hope and pray that we just want to recognize you, especially our pastor Keith Dipsy and his wife Amy, First Lady, as we lift up the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. I thank God as each and every one of us. I've had a Had a song that I was thinking about singing a man and I thought I put it down right here in front of me But boy, sometimes it's so easy To misplace stuff that's right in front of us here. And so I see it now. It's over there I'll walk over there and get in just a minute, but I thank God Here today take your Bibles over to Psalms 107 verse 25. I I thank God I was every morning as we start out at our campus. We have a couple couriers that come around. One of them is Don Poindexter. He's a dedicated decorated marine aviator, a crew chief. that flew a UH-34 helicopter for 18 and a half months, 227 missions, almost a mission every day while he was in Vietnam. And this man was shot down about eight times. And our conversation was, I remember when we would be flying a lot of times around islands, especially Jamaica, around the many times I've been up and around Hawaii, that every time that I would get close around the island, all of a sudden, the aircraft would drop and fall. And I began to ask him about that and what that basically was. And it was a downdraft that he was telling me about that was a sudden downward movement of air. Often it's caused by the interaction of a warmer and colder air masses and when that warm Don Pondexter being an aviator kind of begin to explain this to me because the Lord had put this thought in my mind and that when that warm and moist air rises into the atmosphere, it cools, it condenses, it forms clouds and precipitation, and as those water droplets combine, they become heavier, and then the cold air begins to form a higher up into the atmosphere. That cold air, which is denser and heavier than the surrounding warm air, starts to descend rapidly toward the ground, and it creates a downdraft. And so it's very dangerous, these down drafts. Because every time, I remember when we were going to, when I was going to do the funeral for my wife's mother back in Hawaii, there was a young girl on the left. And man, when we came in, Lee was on the right. That young girl didn't know me from nobody. But when that plane dropped, she liked to squeeze the living daylights out of my hand. And boy, of course, my heart had a heart attack as well. And so, as we look at our subject, the downdrafts of life out of Psalms 107 here, Sunday afternoon, October the 13th, 2024, the 11th of Tishri, 5785 of the Hebrew calendar. I'm glad that here, as God speaks of God raising the stormy winds, lifting the waves, And I hope that when we look at these winds, like the down drafts, that can leave us feeling out of control. Even in these moments when we feel like we're out of control, just like you're in a plane and it's falling, and all of a sudden it drops so far, you're thinking, man, this thing ain't supposed to be dropping, it's a plane. This is in the air, but it can happen. Even in those moments of life today, we must remember that God is sovereign. and his power is greater than the storms that are raging around us. Today I dedicate not only this pastor's day but to all those devastations of the storms, our people of North Carolina, our people that have hid in Tampa. I grew up in Tampa and I came to Georgia in 69. And so Tampa was a wonderful place. I didn't, I'll be honest with you, I didn't want us to leave Tampa, Florida to come to Georgia in 69, but we did. And ever since then, Georgia has been our home, except when we were going into military for a while. And so today we look at the downdrafts of life, Amen. And before we go any further, uh they've been some folks my good friend uh uh mark uh uh began to text me today and uh he began to ask me about someone that it was close to him that had cancer a man and so uh uh i want to uh remember that lady uh i don't know if they want their names mentioned or not but we're going to pray for her and all of our others. Amen. Today as Pastor's Appreciation Day, this shirt and this tie was given to me by Susie and Phillip New. Amen. And I'm wearing it today in honor of that, of Pastor's Appreciation Day, especially as we celebrated our pastor Today Keith Dipsy and as as they had a dinner and had wonderful fellowship I was talking with brother Max and brother Steven and and I thank God today and I begin to tell him that this was what was on my heart to preach ever since that conversation with Don Poindexter about how that, I began asking him, I said, what do you call it, man, when you're in the plane or a helicopter and it begins to fall? And he says, listen, man, he says, that's a downdraft and it's very dangerous and you try to compensate the very best that you can. And so someone like him that's been through so many battles and almost died to serve our country, a decorated Marine aviator, a man, And so, I want to take some time to pray for all as well. And so, as Brother Mark, my brother in Christ, that texted me this afternoon as we were in the fellowship, brother, we love you and we'll be praying for that sister as well, for her cancer. And so let's have us a little bit of time of prayer that we're going to ask the Lord to intervene before we go any further. Heavenly Father, we recognize the need of our life today, Father. And Lord, I ask you, God, Lord, that when all of the darkest valleys of storms begin to come across our path, that Lord that you would be the one that is in control of it all. You're the one Father that can come to the rescue and snatch us out of the winds and all of the pockets that fall that seem like nothing else can help us Lord to get through. the deepest despairs of life, the storms that never end, the trials, God, that continue to test and pester. But God, through your mighty power, you're the anchor of our life. Your word, Father, that we look to today is the hope for all of us. Now, God, I pray and ask you to intervene. Thank you for all our pastors today, but I pray also, Lord, and give thanks, Lord, for all those men and women that as pastors and first wives, first ladies of the churches today, Lord, that are laboring day in and day out in our local Body of Christ and churches, Lord. I ask the Lord, I pray, to reach out to our North Carolina and our Florida and all of the devastation of this weather that has come in. And Lord, that's caused for all the things that are up and coming in leadership in our nation. That is a dire need, Father. I pray, God, that, Lord, that you'll intervene in that area. And Lord, that people will pray for what's morally right. And Lord, the most, Lord, recognizable moral leader, Lord, when they begin to look at these candidates, Father, sometimes it's very difficult. Lord, but sometimes it's very obvious. And so I pray in the name of Jesus this afternoon, God, that you will help us with the downdrafts of our lives as we go through life every day, dealing with cancer and stroke, heart problems, diabetes, Father, medication adjustments. Oh, Father, I pray in the name of Jesus to intervene. I pray for the many that feel like they're by themselves, alone and unloved. But no one is ever alone. God is always with us. God is always caring for us. God is in control. He's the sovereign power even today. And He knows exactly what you're going through, when you're going through it. And He'll get you through the down drafts of life this afternoon, Father. Lord, I pray, intervene. Go past the hospital rooms. Go past the surgery rooms, Father. Go down over to the funeral home, Father. Go to the court of laws and represent those, Lord, that need representation, Father. They need some grace and mercy dished out in their areas of life. Oh, Father, they need rescuing. Lord, they feel like they're perishing away, but God, you can come on the scene and rescue them. and bring them back, whatever stormy winds. As the psalmist, Lord, wrote this in praise and honor. I praise you, Lord. And Lord, I always say, Father, that when it gets its darkest and when it gets its worst, that we lift up holy praise no matter what. We begin to praise you, Father, even when the storms are at their direst time, Father. Lord, it helps us to calm us during the storm. We just give glory and praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. and father i pray you'll intervene into the many lives of many that are suffering right now lord with whatever adjustments of life that they're going through in jesus's marvelous mighty name amen let me step over here a minute and get this song that uh lord i uh Had on my mind a man to try to sing a man I dedicate this to our pastors for pastor appreciation today because when we look at the time of Psalms 107 we see a time that it was written in verse 25 and It was written for a joyous occasion of celebration by God's people. After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, God had moved to bring about Israel's release. And I'm glad that whatever captivity that you've been going through and whatever problems that feel heavy and weighing down your spiritual life of the backdrops of life, then hopefully you can praise along with me, amen. As I send this out, I dedicate this to our pastor, Pastor Keith Dipsy, amen. And it's about praise, praise God. A North Carolina man that wrote this, amen. And I thank God as we begin to sing this song, amen. I hope and pray as well that you will praise right along with us as we try our very best to sing this song. Amen. I was nothing when I met you, and I'm nothing, Lord, without you. I'm nothing but a sinner saved by grace. All I am is what you made me. All I have is what you gave me. I've nothing to repay, nothing but praise. Nothing but praise to you and you alone I bring before the throne of righteousness Nothing but praise I bow my heart in humble thankfulness Nothing but praise for all you claim to be And Your blessings upon me and me awaits. I'm nothing, Lord, to give, nothing but praise. In my weakness, You are stronger. In my journey, You are longer. Your love has been my light in every way. When I falter, you restore me. When I'm broken, you adore me. I've nothing to repay, nothing but praise, nothing but praise. To you and you alone, I bring before the throne of righteousness, nothing but praise. I bow my heart in humble thankfulness. nothing but praise for all you claim to be, and your blessings upon me and me always. I've nothing, Lord, to give, nothing but praise. All my days are in your keeping. All my moments in your healing. Your grace has been my strength from day to day. When I'm lost, your spirit guides me. In the dark, your light beside me. I've nothing to repay. Nothing but praise. Nothing but praise. To you and you alone, I bring before the throne of righteousness. Nothing but praise. I bow my heart in humble thankfulness. nothing but praise for all you claim to be and your blessings upon me and me awaits. I've nothing Lord to give nothing but praise. Amen. Amen. Boy, if the Lord ain't good, amen, as we get ready to go into the downdrafts of life out of Psalms 107, verse 25, I'm glad, let his word be your anchor during life's downdrafts. Here, as we look at the wonderful word of God. Here, I'm glad that the word of God begins to tell us in Psalms 107, verse 25, and he says, for he commandeth and he raiseth the stormy wind. which lifteth up the waves thereof." Boy, I thank God when we begin to look at the psalmist as he wrote this, praise God. And he begins to tell us, you know what? If it's Satan who causes the storm, the Lord is the one that has the final say, amen? Praise his mighty name! Thank God, I'm glad. In other words, Satan has to get permission from our Lord in everything because whatever he does, he don't have more power than our Lord does. And so I'm glad that when we look and realize today that God speaks of raising the stormy winds and lifting the waves. These winds, like downdrafts, they can leave us feeling out of control. But even in these moments of time, we must remember that God is sovereign and his power is greater than the storm, amen. And so when we look and realize I remember reading a story about a pilot that described the terror of encountering a very sudden downdraft flying through what seemed like a clear sky. The aircraft was suddenly pulled downward by an invisible force, a powerful downdraft that sent the plane plunging. The pilot's instinct was automatically just pull up, like Don Poindexter told me about, to fight the downward pull. But he realized that fighting against it would lead to disaster. Instead, he had to let the downdraft run its course before he could safely regain control of the aircraft. and it was a moment of complete surrender to the forces beyond his control. Much like that pilot, you and I, we often find ourselves in a spiritual downdraft. Times when everything in life pulls us down unexpectedly. People in North Carolina, people in Florida, everything's been devastated and destroyed. And like the pilot, we're tempted to fight, to resist, to control the situation. But God calls us to trust in his sovereignty. knowing that he commands even the stormy winds of life. And so, despite the best efforts that the pilot could regain altitude, the only thing that kept him safe was to be able to trust the Lord in recovery. And so I'm glad that when we look at these things, that begins to pull us down in the walks of life today. Can you imagine today, as we look at the downdrafts of life, we begin to see some things. One of the very first things that we see when we look at the Word of God, for He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves thereof. We see the divine work, the divine wind at work, amen. Because He says, He says, for He commands and raises the stormy wind. And so, I'm glad that when we look at this, we begin to see that there's some things out there today that a lot of men try to duplicate. A lot of men out there today, they try to duplicate some of the complicated things that God, but they cannot, amen, today. And so, when we look at the things of life, amen, We begin to realize that through several things that I'm going to show after this, things like cloud seeding that they try to establish and form the weather through modifications, amen, that involves dispersing substances into the air like silver iodide, potassium iodide, even common salt, which help encourage cloud formation and precipitation, rain or snow. They encourage all of these particles that provide a surface for water vapor to condense around, increasing the chances of rainfall. China used cloud seeding ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics to ensure clear skies for the event. The United Arab Emirates used cloud seeding to increase rainfall in the desert regions. And so it doesn't guarantee rainfall. It only increases the likelihood. But the environmental concerns over the chemicals that are used, the silver iodide, which could have long-term effects. The ethical concerns, risking the disrupting natural weather patterns. Not only do we see that they use the cloud seeding, but the hail suppression. And I'll show you a brief illustration of these in a few minutes. In some regions, that cloud seeding is also used to prevent hailstorms by introducing particles that cause smaller, less destructive hailstorms to form. Geoengineering is a third thing of somehow man tries to duplicate the weather. And the solar radiation management, that involves reflecting a portion of the sun's energy back into space to cool the Earth. The techniques that include spraying aerosols like sulfur dioxide into the trasphere to how volcanic eruptions cool the planet. Or marine cloud brightening that they do. All of these things that they try to do today. They've been testing this stuff since the 1940s. Who knows what they can come up with today. Makes you wonder, can they cause some disruptions like what happened in some of the weather nowadays. They've got the electromagnetic weather modification of using high-frequency electromagnetic waves to influence weather patterns. That's called the High-Frequency Active Aerial Research Program. That's in Alaska, for instance. That is basically often cited as a conspiracy theory about weather control, though scientists involved in the project deny any ability to manipulate the weather. And the fifth type of way that men try to think they can do things is artificial rain-making, VIA drones, where technology advancements have been introduced to the use of drones to help weather modification. In 2021, the United Arab Nations tested drones that use electrical charges to stimulate rain to form clouds. And the environmental impact of this is the long-term effects of chemical substances of altering weather patterns that are not fully understood. I wonder if there's some folks that think they're green or OK with having this done. the global consequences of weather systems that are interconnected manipulating weather in one region that might unintended effect elsewhere in other regions and all of the ethical political issues that are involved in these amen and so I'm glad here in Psalms 102 we got the occasions to celebrate life's greatest joys. Today we're celebrating all of our pastor appreciation days. We celebrate families' birthdays. We celebrate anniversaries. We celebrate graduations and other significant events. And nations celebrate momentous occasions in history. and special honors and achievements and victories of all of these. And Psalms 107 is one of those times that we celebrate even the downdrafts of life, because even the divine win, that is work, amen. Because after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, God had moved to bring about Israel's release. And most of the people chose to remain in Babylon as their lives and families were established there. But 42,000, 360. I'll tell you, not including servants and singers, continue to believe in God's great promises. And they return to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and their society. Read about it in Ezra chapter 2. And after a year of exalting work throughout the city, the time had come to rebuild the temple and the place where God had dwelled among the nations in a very special way. And the people held a great celebration to mark the laying of its foundation. And I'm glad most likely celebration of Psalms 107. Amen. In Ezra chapter 3 verse 11, the Bible says, and they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord because He is good for His mercy endureth forever towards Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. You know what? I'm glad as they described some of the hardships that they faced in returning to Jerusalem. Boy, I'm gonna tell you, over the past few years, several severe weather conditions and other things have impacted America that we're reminded of. And when we look and realize of some of those that have impacted us, say, man, boy, I'm gonna tell you something. We remember the hurricanes and the tropical storms, Hurricane Iana of 2022 of a category four. devastated parts of Florida, causing widespread flooding back then. Hurricane Ida in 2021, a hurricane that made landfall in Louisiana, causing catastrophic flooding in the Gulf Coast and further north in the states like New York and New Jersey. Churches and faith-based organizations provided relief through food and shelter and prayer, and many suffered during that time. The wildfires in the west of California, the multiple years that ravaged California, Oregon, and Washington, destroying homes and displacing thousands of entire regions in hazardous smoke. Many churches and organizations come to the rescue. COVID-19, the pandemic of 2020, of unprecedented health challenges and restrictions that came across. Many pastors and congregations mourned the loss of loved ones due to the virus and facing economic challenges. The winter storm of Yuri of 2021 that struck Texas and the Central United States in February of 2021. caused a widespread power outages, freezing temperatures. Churches opened their doors for them, praise God. Believers faced not only physical hardships, but opportunities to serve their neighbors in distress. Tornado outbreaks of 2021 in Kentucky, that December of 2021, a series of powerful tornadoes ravaged parts of Kentucky, surrounding the states as well. Entire towns were ripped wide open. Churches played a crucial part in that. The Midwest and southern tornadoes of 2023 devastated parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Illinois. Families lost homes. Churches severely damaged. Christian communities organized again. Drought and water shortages and a western drought in 2020 and even present today. Many parts of the Western United States, including California, Arizona, Nevada, had experienced severe drought conditions that begin to hit us. Social and civil unrest, racial tensions, protests in 2020 of all the things that begin to take place across this country that would disunify us. More and more things that would disrupt between the people of the United States of America. mass shootings and violences, church shooting, various years that it happened, church shootings in Texas in 2017, Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018, on up to our current shootings here in Georgia around flooding and natural disasters, Midwest floods of 2019, heavy rainfall, snow that led to a catastrophic flooding in the states like Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, farmhomes that were destroyed, churches that mobilized, economic hardships as well, fallout from pandemic, inflation, all the crisis of widespread financial hardships that have happened with the recent things that are going on today. And boy, I'm going to tell you, when we look at all of these things, God's great love helps us triumph over all these dreadful circumstances that we're going through today. And so there's a divine wind at work, amen. And we see, first of all, God's control over the elements, amen. Isaiah 45, 7 says, I form the light, create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. You see, the downdrafts of life, whether they're physical or spiritual, They're not outside of God's control. He commands the wind. He waves, showing his sovereignty over all creation. We cannot always avoid the pressures and the trials that occur in this sin-cursed world. As we navigate through life, We will encounter storms from time to time. Life's storms can include a lot of things. Storms of life may overwhelm us. So the fears that we might feel like we're not gonna be able to survive them. But when despair overtakes us and when we're at our wits' end, we need to trust the Lord because He loves us more than we can ever comprehend. And He's promised not to forsake us. And He's with us in life's storms today, strengthening and supporting us by His indwelling Spirit and His Holy Word. You see, there's an enemy out there. There's sources in the world when all of these are said. He don't care nothing about you. You're not remembered at all. You are all by yourself. You're all alone. That's a lie straight from the depths of hell because there's no one that loves you more. We always need to remember that God's more powerful than the fiercest storm that we may face. No challenge is too great for Him, and whether He calms the storm or not, or preserves us through it, we need to lean fully on Him, praise God. Now, I know that's not easy to do, but though His unlimited power and His unfailing love we can come through life's most difficult circumstances victoriously. Nothing will keep God from accomplishing his purposes for us. Praise his mighty name. He'll guide us through life's storms. He'll carry out his perfect will for our lives, amen. And so we see the purpose behind the downdrafts, amen. Because Matthew 8, verse 26, the Bible says, he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. The downdraft serves a purpose. And so sometimes it tests our faith. It pushes us to trust in God when circumstances seem to spiral out of control, amen. And so when we see the divine wind at work, we see God's control over the elements, the purpose behind the downdrafts, but also we see facing the downdrafts with faith. Because Paul said in Romans 5.34, and not only so, but we glory in tribulations. Also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience, and experience, hope. See, the down drives in our lives work to build patience and hope. What feels like a descent is often God preparing us for something even greater. You know what? When we look, Max Licato said that God doesn't protect us from life's downdrafts. He equips us to rise above them. And so I'm glad that when we look and realize, Charles Spurgeon said, he said, I've learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages. Amen. And so I'm glad that he understood that the trials and storms of life they serve a purpose to push us toward the unshakable foundation of Christ. Amen. And so I'm glad when we look at the divine wind at work, we see all of those things that I was talking about earlier of how man tries to manipulate tries to manipulate with all of the different technologies of cloud seeding, amen, that it goes. I've got some details here. Since 1946, this has been going on. Vince and Schaefer, they've done this stuff and they think they really know something. Maybe they can do something, but they can't do nothing that God can't take care of, amen. And so, the hail suppression as well with the technology. Oh man, even the leadest of scientists that does all of these things, of geoengineering, and the electromagnetic weather modifications, and the artificial rain making via drones as well. They're nothing compared to the power of God, amen. And so, we see the downdrafts of life, the divine wind that is at work, amen. But then also we see the tumultuous waves of trial. The tumultuous waves of trial. Because what did he say in Psalms 107 verse 25? Which lifteth up the waves thereof. That second part. which lifteth up the waves thereof." So the tumultuous waves of trial that every one of us go through. And one of the first things that we see, overcoming the power of life's troubles. Because I'm glad that when we do that, the Psalm, Psalmist 46 verses 1 and 2 says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, and therefore will not We fear though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. You see life's waves of trouble, they may surge, but God is our refuge. God is our strength. And so we don't need to fear the down drafts because he is ever present in all of our trials. Amen. And so we overcome the power of life's troubles, amen. But secondly, we ride the waves of adversity. I thank God in Isaiah 43, too. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. I was doing a job down in a place in Arkansas, amen. Boy, was we there a while. Later on, we had time to move on and do some whitewater rafting. And while we were out there, I capsized and I had a life vest on, but it made no difference. It jerked me back under that water and it took me for a long, long, long way. And my breath was almost gone. I was holding my breath as it was, I felt like I was going through an underwater tunnel and all of a sudden I popped up. I took a breath, it pulled me back down, and I went on a little further. And when I finally came up, I didn't realize I had much breath left. I was gonna be a goner. I never knew that I would ever live to be a pastor during that time. And so, sometimes as you ride the waves of adversity, Isaiah said in Isaiah 43 verse 2, I know what that means, because I've experienced it firsthand. The waves of adversity may rise high. But they will not overcome us, with God is with us, because His promise stands firm even in the fiercest waters. And thirdly, perseverance through stormy seas. And so, James chapter 1 verse 12 says, Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. And so I thank God those who endure the down drafts of life will receive a reward. God's blessings follow those who trust him through the storm. And so I'm glad an unknown person said one time, the waves of life will not drown you when you're anchored to the one who walks on water. Amen. Praise his body name, thank you Jesus. And so, we see that when we go through life today, we realize even Elizabeth Elliot on her suffering that she lost her husband in missionary work. But one of the things as a missionary to Ecuador and going right back and being around the Ecuador Indians that took her husband's life, she said, the deepest things that I have learned in my own life have come from the deepest sufferings. and out of the deepest waters and the hottest fires have come the deepest things I know about God." Boy, I'm going to tell you how she experienced all of that firsthand. She didn't run away from the downdrafts of her life, but she embraced them. And so when we look and we realize that as we go through life today, the storm is told of Psalms 107, verse 25, how that the eagle is unique among the birds. Because when a storm comes, it doesn't hide. Instead, it faces that storm straight on and uses the wind to lift itself higher above the clouds. And it lets the storm elevate it to heights that it could never reach on its own. Amen. You know, when the storms come in our life, Every one of us, we have two choices. We can either retreat or we can rise. Like that eagle, God calls us to face our challenges with faith, allowing him to use us to take us to the new spiritual heights. And I'm glad that every one of us today, you may be overwhelmed by health issues, or financial burdens, or job stress, or you're being weighed down by pressures that rise above depending on whatever's happening in your life right now. but let the winds of adversity lift us closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. And so, the downdrafts of life, that's the divine wind at work, where we read verse 25 of Psalms 107, amen, for he commands and raises the stormy wind, amen. Then we see that the tumultuous waves of trial in that second part that it says, which lifts up the waves thereof, Amen, but then that third thing the peace beyond the down draft that he gives to every one of us a man because I'm glad that if you'll look down at verse 29 of Psalms 107 the Bible says he makes the storm a calm so that the waves thereof are steel and It shows us that it is God's power that governs nature. Thank God. And so, when we look and realize that, first of all, that we see the promise of God's peace, because Philippians chapter 4, verse 7, that he tells us, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, because after the storm, God brings a peace that is beyond our comprehension. Even in the midst of chaos, he promises peace to those who seek him. I remember one time when I got down off of a mountain of repelling. Back then, I didn't have a lock and caribbean. I got down at the bottom, and when I got down at the very bottom of that long scale of repelling dam, My caribbean came undone, just like that. You talking about, I was already down. I was already, my feet were on the ground. But boy, I mean, you talking about scared to death. That thing didn't open while I was coming down. But when I got down on the bottom, it opened up. After that, I looked into getting me a lock and caribbean after that. You know, I want to tell you the promise of God's peace. I'll tell you, I was telling a brother in Christ the other day that there's a lot of folks that don't have peace. But I'm glad my brother in Christ does. There's a lot of folks out there that don't have the Lord. That's why they don't have peace. The peace beyond the downdraft. Because every one of us, after the storm, God brings a peace that is beyond our comprehension. Even in the midst of chaos, he promises peace to those that seek him. But we see, let me back up a minute. Now thank God, just for a minute, I got a little fast with my thumb, the restoration after that downdraft. Because Psalms 147 verse 3, the Bible says, He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds. And so God doesn't just bring us through that downdraft. He restores, He heals us in the aftermath of the storm, and His power not only calms that storm, but it means the damage that it causes. And then we give thanks for the calm as we sung nothing but praise, Psalms 107. The people got out of bondage after so many years and they said, man, let's celebrate. Boy, I'm glad that I got out of bondage in 1972. Woo, I was just a youngster, but I got out of bondage way back then. I have not been in it since. I've been released from the bondage of sin, thank God. I give thanks for that calm. Paul said in Ephesians 5.20, give thanks always for all things unto God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're called to give thanks even for the downdrafts, knowing that God works all things for our good. Every storm brings a deeper appreciation for the calm that he provides. You know what? I'm glad that Charles Spurgeon said one time, the storm may roll, but in the heart of the believer, peace reigns. Praise God, hallelujah, amen. Thank you, Jesus. And so, when we look and realize that here, the sailors trust in the wind. A seasoned sailor once described his experience in the midst of a storm, and he said, I cannot control the wind, but I can adjust my sails. And I'm glad each and every one of us, when the storms of life, we cannot navigate sometimes, we gotta trust the principles of sailing. The wind, though it's destructive at times, also the force that carries us to safety, it can be managed if we try, but we've got to trust the Lord because he tells us that in life we cannot always control the downdrafts, those moments when the winds of adversity raises, but I'm glad that we can rely on the Lord's wisdom. And every one of us often face broken relationships, unexpected health problems. We adjust ourselves, a means of trusting God's plan for our lives, even when we don't understand the direction that the wind is blowing in. But I'm glad each and every one of us when we look and realize of the story that Jesus calmed the storm. In Mark chapter four, verses 37 down to verse 39, and the disciples were in a boat during a great storm. Master, carest thou not that we perish and Jesus begin to rebuke the wind? And he said to the sea, peace be still. Boy, I thank God, what power. And there was a great calm, the Bible said. Jesus asked his disciples, why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And so I'm glad each and every one of us as we go through life today, whether due to global crisis that I've talked about or personal struggles, this story reminds us that no matter how fierce the storm, Jesus is with us and His power is greater than any challenge that we face. Trust in His authority that brings peace to every one of us, amen. And so, how do you take care of all the downdrafts of life, amen? How do we do that? How do we take care of these things that are happening in our lives today? Praise God, each and every one of us, when we look and realize that these times in our life, first of all, we trust God's control, amen. And so we face these things through unexpected trials and personal loss, amen. But I thank God we build resilience through faith as well. In a world that quickly tries to want to fix something and make it comfortable, it's important to understand that trials build our spiritual resilience. And so the winds may blow. but they're shaping us to be stronger and more reliant on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Blessed is the man that endures temptation. Remember, I read that earlier for those trials that we're going through today. But also, we see not only trust God's control, build resilience through faith, but I'm glad. Anchor yourself in God's promises because every one of us in societies of today often They offer some false anchors in material success, in popularity, or some type of control mechanism. But true peace, listen to me. True peace comes from anchoring our lives in God's Word and His promises, which are unshakable even in the fiercest storms. Amen. I'm glad that all of us, as we get ready and as we go our separate ways today, we can see that God knows what we need before we need it. Life's downdrafts, those sudden forceful challenges, they can feel overwhelming. But we're reminded that in Psalms 107, verse 25, that God is in control of every wind and every wave. He allows those down drafts not only to destroy us sometimes, we're in a fierce battle that it rains on the just and the unjust alike. But it also strengthens our faith at times, deepens our trust in him. And so the same God that stirs the wind calms and restores as we face those down drafts of life. May we keep our eyes on the one who commands the storm more than anyone else, a man. And so I hope and pray. that as I get ready to close out, I hope and pray that you turn everything over to our Lord and let Him be the greatest help in your life as we close out. I hope and pray that you got something out of the message. Lost sinner friend, my prayer is that you will find the peace that we're talking about. the peace that only comes from knowing a savior that you could step out on faith as pastor keith preached on this morning uh about our faith amen and so we need to be able to trust the lord and give our soul into his safe keeping and begin to say understanding that i'm a sinner But believing that Christ died on the cross to free me from the punishment of my sins, I now receive Him as my Lord and Savior. And from this day forward, I live to please Christ and in placing my trust in Him for the gift of eternal life. Remember, on your best day, you can't earn it. You can't get it except to receive it because it's a free gift. Nothing that you can do on your own works or ability will ever bring about salvation. But through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, if you accept this free gift, if you step out on nothing, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, and trust God, you can receive the greatest gift and peace that you'll ever receive. As we close out, Let's pray. Father, our refuge in the downdrafts of life, we pray for those who are lost, that they would come to know you as our Savior. For those that are already in Christ, we help, Lord, that you would help them to repent. daily and to trust you fully in every storm that they're going through in their health situations. And remind us that you're in control even, Lord, when life pulls us down. Let us find peace in your presence and give thanks for your faithful guidance. In Jesus's marvelous mighty name we pray. Amen. God bless you. Thank you for tuning in.