Peace In the Midst of a Storm

It’s almost hard to believe that since my last post a week ago a category four hurricane made landfall in Louisiana. It was, for many, a time of uncertainty and so many unknowns. No matter whether we’re preparing for a storm, we’re right in the middle of a storm, or dealing with the aftermath of a storm; here are things we always need to remember:

Have faith. Without faith, we know it’s impossible to please God. What we may not have thought about is that without faith, it’s also impossible to effectively navigate a storm. If your faith fails you, you’ll begin to make decisions based on what you see. And as we know from 2 Corinthians 5:7 that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. In the midst of a storm is not the time to try to develop your faith – that’s the time to walk in it.

Usher in His presence. Trying to walk through a storm alone can be miserable, but in God’s presence there is fullness of joy. Spend time in His Word. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. Set the atmosphere through your prayer and your praise. Don’t busy yourself so much reacting to the storm that you neglect the One who can rescue you from it. His presence is more powerful than your plan.

Remind Him of His promises. Just last night my daughter once again reminded me of a promise I made to her. I didn’t need to be reminded, but she just wanted me to know she remembered and that she fully expects me to fulfill it. If we can understand this concept when it comes to our children, why do we fail to understand it when it comes to our Father? The Word of God is full of our Heavenly Father’s promises and He wants us to remind Him of them. Not because He forgets, but because He wants us to remember.

Remember His goodness. Have you ever been begging God to help you in a situation and when He finally comes through you shout, “God, You are so good!” And then the very next time you find yourself in a situation you’re begging Him all over again as if you don’t even remember how good He’s been to you before. The Bible reminds us in multiple places that God is good and His faithful love endures forever. God has been good to you, He is good to you, and He will continue to be good to you. Now it’s up to you to remember.

Interact with like-minded believers. There’s nothing like being in the middle of a storm and you’ve surrounded yourself with a whole bunch of panicked people. You weren’t worried before, but after just talking to a few of them on the phone, you have relinquished your peace and adopted their anxiety. Instead, surround yourself with those who will encourage you to do what you need to do all while trusting God to do what only He can do.

Cast your care. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your care on God for He cares for you.” Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.” These are commands, not just suggestions. If you want a supernatural outcome, you’re going to have to follow the supernatural instructions.

Act like Jesus. How did Jesus act when He was in the midst of a storm? He slept! I’m not making this up! Read your Bible! Mark 4:37-38 MSG says, “A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping!” Picture it… He was chilling! He was in no way concerned, affected, or distracted by the storm.

Never fear. How many times have we said it? “God has not given us a spirit of fear.” Now, the real question is, how many times have we believed it? God knew there would be countless times in our lives where we would be tempted to be afraid and I believe that’s why there are so many times in scripture where He reminds us to fear not. You cannot walk in fear and faith at the same time. Rather than meditating on things that cause you to fear, choose to meditate on God’s love instead. And His perfect love will cast out that fear.

Expect God to answer. I know. So many of us have been disappointed and let down by so many people that we would rather not expect anything than to be disappointed again. But God is not man that He should lie. If God said He would do something, He’s going to do it. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

At very the moment Jesus told the disciples in Mark 4:35, “Let us cross over to the other side,” it didn’t matter what they had to go through along the way. The storm they faced was irrelevant in light of the promise He had already made. Once Jesus spoke, it was a done deal. No weapon formed against them could prosper because they were guaranteed to make it to the other side!

No matter what storms you may experience in life, if you just keep you eyes on Jesus, you too can experience peace in the midst of a storm.

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