Storms of Life

Do you love to sit outside and watch a storm roll in? My husband tells me stories of living in West Texas and seeing the the dust storms roll in. Over the course of my life I have seen and experienced many storms such as thunderstorms, hailstorms, ice storms, tornadoes, tropical depressions, hurricanes, snowstorms, and blizzards. Have you ever noticed that these storms vary in intensity, size, and length of time? They have scales, ratings, names, and tracking signals. I can still remember the circumstances surrounding some of the storm I encountered. Once I was at the beach in Destin on a partially sunny day relaxing in my chair. Suddenly, the beach patrol was hurrying to put all the umbrellas down and fold the chairs up. They said a thunderstorm was coming quickly with high winds. Within ten minutes, the rain began pouring sideways. People started scrambling to gather their belongings while umbrellas and chairs were flying the air. The storm lasted about thirty minutes. However, the beach was a mess. These men tried to give warning, but few listened. What have the storms in your life taught you? Are you listening to the warning they bring? Can you see the physical evidence they leave behind?

A few years back, I was in Douglas, Arizona on mission trip with the high school youth. Each night these students would do a concert in the park as outreach to the community for the local church. When I arrived at the park, I had an unsettled feeling about our students doing the concert that evening. The sky was pitch black with dark ominous clouds and lightning all around. The forecast was heavy thunderstorms every afternoon since it was monsoon season in Arizona. We had experienced and seen the evidence of a monsoon coming the day before. I spoke to our minister about placing our students in a difficult situation where they would have to tear down the sound equipment during a bad storm. I will never forget His answer, ‘Have faith. The Lord told me to continue with this concert.’ I will admit, I was terrified seeing the lightning all around us as the concert was beginning, so I kept telling my friend we needed to leave. My response all evening was fear, anxiousness, and fleeing. I wanted to run scared to get myself out of harm’s way. These storms were visible, I could see them coming but felt so unprepared. It didn’t even cross my mind to cry out to the Lord. However, he still showed himself faithful to me that day. That evening in the park there was not one drop of rain. In fact, the dark clouds parted just enough to have some sun peek through on us. The kids sang beautifully, and several people were saved. If not for my friend who kept me there through her reassuring, peaceful and calming voice, I would have missed the opportunity to see the Lord work. Where was my Faith to believe what the Lord had spoken?

I am so thankful the Lord gives me opportunities to see His faithfulness. Matthew 8:23-27 tells a story of the day the disciples encountered a storm. These disciples had just witnessed Jesus miraculously heal a man with leprosy, the centurion’s servant, and many others. Before Jesus entered the boat to cross the shore, he gave the command to follow him. When Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him. After a little while, a furious storm came up on the lake and the waves swept over the boat while Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Do you see how the disciples had the Faith to step into the boat with the Lord that day? However, when the storm came, they became afraid and terrified they were going to drown. Why were they so afraid that the storms were going to sweep over them to the point of drowning? The Lord was right there, and they were never alone. They had just watched Jesus perform many miracles. Yet, they lacked the Faith that Jesus would protect them.

You see, the Lord can be silent and still be working in us at the same time. He is aware of our situations, yet his plans are sufficient enough to guide us through these storms of life. Do you have the same reaction as the disciples when you want the Lord to move in your life? Immediately they went to the source of protection and asked him to do something. In amazement, they watched Jesus in one command completely rebuke and calm the storm. Through faith, Jesus showed the disciples to be still instead of panicking, to be peaceful instead of afraid, and to continue in belief in the midst of the storm. I noticed that myself, just like the disciples, I will encounter storms in life. Faith will not eliminate, change, or take away these storms. However, Faith will change us. It allows us to see and know that we are never alone. We must choose to exercise our Faith in the Lord. It is not an automatic. Affirm Jesus is Lord over all of the storms which come into our lives and be thankful he is walking alongside us to guide us through the storms. What storm is present in your life right now and you need the have faith the Lord will carry you through?

When I was in college I worked for the YMCA in Dallas, one afternoon while the parents were picking up their children the tornado sirens went off. We rushed to get the children out of the pool to safety in the hallways. Suddenly, the winds picked up heavily, clouds were circling, and we could hear a strong whistling sound. A tornado had just gone over our building and it felt like a scene from Wizard of Oz. Debris from the roof, windows, and building were scattered around the area. Even though the sirens had gone off to sound the alarm, I felt this storm came without warning. What storms in your life come without warning? A possible marital issue, financial problems, loss of a job, or a health scare? Who do you turn to and trust to help you through these tough times? On this day I placed my trust in the weathermen who sounded the alarm so I could get out of harm’s way. Many times, the storms in our lives are what most impact us to turn to the Lord and focus on His Glory. We would never learn to Trust the Lord if everything was always calm and smooth sailing. The disciples knew who to ask for help and Trusted Him enough to calm the storm. Look at the end scene of the storm with the disciples.

Matthew 8:23-27 says,

“Jesus replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

Steven Cole says,

“We all can fake it in calm waters. We can impress others with how together we seem to be. And, the disciples could cope with normal storms quite well. They had been in storms on this lake many other times. They were experts at handling their boat in rough waters. At first, they probably thought, ‘No problem, we can handle it.’ But this storm brought them to the end of themselves and showed them how they were trusting in themselves. Often, a crisis shows us a side of ourselves we were blind to. The Lord uses it to reveal new areas where we need to learn to trust Him. We all must come to know our weakness so that we will rely on the Lord’s strength. Storms often show us things that we don’t see in calmer times.”

These disciples went from fear of the storm to awareness of the power of the Lord. What are you facing that is churning and growing in intensity that you need to trust the Lord to change your perspective?

I love to see fresh snow coming down on the tall trees and seeing the ground white and crisp. There is a peacefulness watching the scene change from green grass to white winter land. In life, our storm scenes can change from discouragement to peace. Allow the Lord to guide through these storms to give you direction and lead you to dependence on Him.

According to Shannon Kay McCoy,

“The storms of life are part of God’s sanctification plan, revealing your heart, and growing you into His image. Do not let the difficult storms become bigger than the promises of Jesus. He promises to be with you through any storm that He allows in your life (Isa. 43:2). Allow the storms of life propel you to trust God as your refuge and deliverer.”

When I have faith and trust the Lord to guide me through the tough storms, I receive a peaceful promise of rest with Him. Did you notice the disciples were amazed at who this man was? Even the wind and waves obeyed Him. As with the disciples, when the Lord works in my life I am amazed from the blessing or lesson he taught me through the storm. Think back on the times the Lord was faithful and carried you through the storms. Have you thanked him for carrying you through?

This summer, I went through a serious storm that I could not see an ending to and had no control over. I just kept asking my friends please pray for the peace that only the Lord can give me. If you are currently in the midst of a storm and fear and anxiety are consuming you, one scripture that has carried me through is Philippians 4:6-7.

‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’

Rest in the peace of the Lord, trust him to guide you through the storms, and depend on him to be Faithful. You will never be the same as you were before the storm hit.

Zandra Morris
Women’s Ministry Director