Sturdy in the Storm

Anyone who has lived for much time at all knows that in life storms will surely come.  Jesus warned as much, “In this world, you will have trouble…” Sometimes, seemingly out of nowhere, we are faced with an unexpected job loss, a grim diagnosis, the painful passing of a loved one, or the sorrow of goodbyes. Like the disciples caught in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, we can feel overwhelmed by these trials, as if our boat were sinking.
 
Following Jesus does not insulate us from life’s storms, but we can take comfort from knowing that God promises to hold us fast through them. After all, immediately after He warns us of the troubles of this world, Jesus brings a message of comfort by making it clear that He alone enables us to overcome whatever rocky waves and battering winds come our way. He can calm our hearts, and He may even quiet the very storms themselves.
 
When storms come, we are often tempted to doubt God. The disciples questioned Jesus even though they had seen His miracles firsthand. They looked Jesus in the eye, and they shared meals with Him every day—but when the storm arose, they took to panic stations of unbelief as if they’d forgotten who He was or what He was capable of doing: A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling … And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:37-39)
 
Don’t we often find ourselves there too? As soon as the turbulence hits—as soon as life’s winds and waves rise—our doubts and weaknesses burst forth, and we forget who it is who dwells within us and what He is capable of doing. God does not prevent storms from coming. But He is a God who is both present through them and sovereign over them. God promises to be with us always. Through the storms of life, He will be our anchor. And the best way to test the strength of an anchor is to endure a storm.  Jesus not only stayed with the disciples during the storm, but He displayed His power by calming it. As God, He had created the very sea itself. Why would the sea ever be a problem for Him? For us, too, even circumstances that seem hopeless and insurmountable unfold exactly as He has planned. When difficulties, fear, and pain persist, we can trust Him to give us a peace that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) and bring us through any storm to a place of calm, whether it arrives in this life or only beyond the final tempest of death.
 
The question, then, is not “Will storms come in my life?” They surely will. Rather, we must ask, “When the storms come, will I believe that Jesus Christ is able to deal with them—and will I let Him do that?” He can lift the clouds of doubt fogging our minds. He can mend broken hearts. He can soothe our longings for love. He can revive weary spirits. He can calm anxious souls. When you see Jesus as the Creator of the universe, the one who calmed the sea, and the one in whom everything holds together, then you too can experience the calming of the storm. Similarly, Proverbs calls us to build our lives on wisdom and righteousness—that is, having a right relationship with God. When we do that, we will be securely anchored and able to endure the storms of life. With God as our foundation, we can stand firm, trusting that our destiny is safe in his hands. 

“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” (Proverbs 10:25)
                                                   
Devotion adapted from Alistair Begg Devotion, 1-22-2024.