What Doesn't Kill You Has a storm blown into your life lately? Are you, or someone you love, suffering from the trauma of plans that have been washed away, relationships that have been uprooted, or security that has been devastated?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, stay with me because how you respond in the storms of life just might determine your potential to overcome the tempest.
Peter said [to Jesus], “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28).
Let’s consider Peter’s response when Jesus arrived in the middle of that storm at sea. “Jesus, if it’s really You, that means that a miracle is about to take place!”
Peter, the man of adventure and faith, recognized this moment as the opportunity of a lifetime. He knew he could be part of a demonstrative miracle of Jesus, and so he proclaimed, in effect, “Jesus, I want what You’ve got!” Peter, the common man, walked on the water with Jesus, the Son of God, superseding the laws of nature.
Yet, the instant he took His eyes off Jesus and became more aware of the storm than he was of his Savior, he began to sink. It is clear if you are more aware of your personal squall than you are of the presence and power of Jesus, like Peter, you will become overwhelmed with fear and find that you are in way over your head.
However, as Peter reached out and took the hand of Jesus, he was up on the waves again. Take Jesus’ hand! Look into His twinkling eyes and cling to Him with every ounce of strength that remains in your storm-tossed life!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV
No matter how long your storm has raged and how violent your circumstances have become, Jesus is not ignoring your tempest. He is on His way and will, indeed, calm your storm in His perfect and complete timing.
Keep Up Your Courage
There are seasons in life when conditions may seem to go from absolutely terrible to entirely debilitating. Such was the situation in which Paul found himself in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
“The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard” (Acts 27:18 NLT).
Paul, who had endured so much for the gospel of Jesus Christ, told his frightened fellow travelers, “Keep up your courage”! Paul wasn’t threatened by, or afraid of, the storm, because he was more aware of the strength of God than he was of his own weakness.
There will be times when you will be unable to control the events that are rebelliously gusting into your life. It is then that your spiritual anchors will hold you steadfast to Jesus.
The primary anchor that protects us from the jagged shoreline of circumstances is the Word of God. The eternal truth, divine wisdom, and inherent healing power, which are found on the sacred pages of the Bible.
Worshipping God, during a storm, provides another anchor that will hold us steady even in the appalling monsoons of life. My friend, stop murmuring or moaning and start worshipping!
Our third anchor…prayer… is the force that makes hell quiver in fear and causes heaven to rise to its feet and joyfully applaud.
The power of the Holy Spirit is our fourth anchor. You will never make it through any storm in life if you don’t tap into the power of God’s Spirit and allow yourself to be changed by it!
The next time you are in over your head, think of Paul’s sea journey or Peter’s water walking and remind yourself that God will fulfill His promise to always be with you and carry you through.
Even while the storm outside is wreaking havoc and unleashing destruction, within the storm shelter, we are protected and provided with a glorious sustenance. The storm has now become our finest hour as God’s work is completed in our lives.
Carol McLeod
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