“Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.”
Matthew 8:24

Who do you turn to when life unexpectedly throws you off course?

The “Calm before the Storm” phrase was used by sailors to describe the unexpected weather change when they were out at sea. For example, you are outside, enjoying the nice, sunny weather. The birds are chirping, and everything just seems blissful. Suddenly, the skies change from blue to grey, the wind quickly increases, you hear the thunder, and it begins to rain heavily. No prior notice. No weather forecast warning. You just looked up and found yourself in the middle of a storm that you did not see coming.

In Matthew 8:24-25, there was a serious storm that rose over the sea so much to the point that it caused the waves to cover the boat that Jesus and His disciples were on. Seeing this unexpected occurrence caused the disciples to go into panic mode. They became frightened and as a result of that, they ran to where Jesus was and begged Him to save them from what was going on around them. But instead of Jesus becoming alarmed by what was happening, He continued to sleep because He was at peace with the situation. He was at peace with the storm.

Let’s bring it closer to home- try looking at the analogy of these scriptures this way: the sea is your overall life, the “storms” are the situations and circumstances that try to rise up against you, and the boat is you. While living this life, situations will rise up against you, but the One who lives inside of you (the Holy Spirit) isn’t moved by your situations, He’s at peace with your situations.

At some point and time in your life, you have, you are, or you will face some bad storms. They will make you wonder if God is still with you. They will make you question if He really cares about you. But you have to remember that God is always with you. Every storm that you face will be because of the confidence that He is building in you, but if you are never tested, you will never grow into the person He created you to be. The storms you face are not meant to hinder you but they are to help you and strengthen you to  face the challenges that are ahead of you.

Anytime you begin to feel that the storms in your life carry too heavy of a load for you to bear, give them to God and just know that His Word will keep and sustain you. [bctt tweet=”Every time you read God’s Word, you will discover more of who He really is” via=”no”]. The peace that He has for you will continue to provide the comfort you need. As it is stated in Isaiah 26:3-4 (NKJV), “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because He trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord is everlasting strength.” So if there’s ever any room for doubt, let this scripture remind you that your strength will come from the peace that God gives you.

Prayer:

Father, in this life, I will face some serious storms. They may make me wonder if You are still with me or still care, but I have to remember that no matter what storms I face, You are always with me. May I realize that the storms I face are not to hinder me, they are to help me, and the peace You have for me will continue to provide the comfort and strength that I need, Amen.
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[bctt tweet=”God’s Presence, strength, and peace is bigger than any storm you will ever face.” username=””]

LaShana Lloyd is the Christian Blogger and Writer, Speaker, and Founder/Owner of Faith Led Life and Faith Led Life Coaching, LLC.