Storms

Recently I visited Portsoy. The night before I arrived the burn was flooded, many photos of flooded roads and fierce waves crashing against the rocks had been posted on Facebook. The photos very vividly portrayed the rough storms that had hit the coast and harbour in this beautiful fishing village.

Storms! Out at sea they can be quite spectacular, but also very dangerous and have devastating consequences. Sometimes we struggle with storms in our lives, such as physical illness, a disability that we’ve carried throughout life; grieving the loss of a loved one; mental health issues; struggling with depression; broken relationships; insomnia; maybe a too demanding job or a job that is terribly boring; or legal battles we need to fight, We each have issues in our lives that God wants to deal with. If we just had one or two issues to deal with in our lives then we’d mostly accept our limitations, and just get on with life. But when unexpected things happen to complicate matters, or often more than one or two added stresses suddenly come out of the blue, how do we handle ourselves and the situation? How do we react?

Can we then say: ‘Search my heart O God. Test me, know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life’ (Psalm 139:23-24). Or do we defend ourselves and want to avoid looking at the very thing in us that’s getting offended and upset? Why are we getting upset?

Sometimes God allows these storms to keep coming, because there’s something in us He longs to bring healing and restoration to. He keeps taking us round and round the mountain, until we finally let Him be Lord of our life in that area.

Jesus challenged the disciples in the boat: “Where is your faith?” He was right there with them in the middle of the storm. He had it under control. He challenges us too. Where is our faith to deal with the storms of life – in a godly way, not just quick ‘fix it’ temporary ways, but deep lasting ways.

Jesus calmed the storm and the disciples were filled with awe and amazement. “Who is this man?” Jesus can calm our storms if we’re real with Him – so that we’ll look upon Him in awe and wonder, and pray: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ ... in our lives today, in our storms.

Let God use the storms in your life to bring you closer to Him. He can save us from making wrecks of our lives, with devastating consequences. He can rescue and redeem us to become more like Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You that You’re with us in the storms of life, and that You know everything about us. You see the tears we cry, the pain we bear, the suffering that burdens us daily. Yet in You, and with You, we’re more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to be real about the things that offend us and cause our storms to grow even bigger than they need to be, and to bring them to You to deal with. Give us humble hearts to work with You, so that daily we become more like You. We thank You for Your grace which is sufficient for us in every situation we face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.