I attended a wedding yesterday. People of all ages came to celebrate the union of a young bride and groom. There were babies all around me. What amazed me was that with so much commotion, how can they sleep through it all? That leads me to this week’s subject.
This year has certainly been a year of storms. Whether you are talking about storms in your personal life, political chaos, or atmospheric. The storms have been horrific and life-altering. A good question is how do YOU weather the storms that come your way?
During a recent sermon, our pastor led us in a study of Mark 4:35-41. “35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
No matter how ferocious a storm may be (and storms are inevitable, whether they be internal or external), adding insulation always decreases damage. It always, always helps to go to the right person for help. As pointed out in the scripture, Jesus was and is always bigger than your storms.
It’s also important to maintain the right perspective. Yes, it’s natural to be anxious about uncertainty, but don’t throw in the towel despite what you may think even if it doesn’t work out the way you think it should. (Psalm 23:4)
God uses the storms in our lives as tools to help us know and trust Him more. It is a guaranteed fact that everyone on this earth will face storms, but facing them with a real anchor is so much better than having no anchor at all.
As I consider the chaos that surrounds all of us as storms whirl around us, it comforts me that Jesus is in the business of quelling storms, of bringing chaos into submission to His calm. He brings faith where there is fear, patience where there is impatience, love where there is envy, and strength where weakness occurs. It is calming to me to hear in my heart, “Be still.”
The real question to all of us is who is in your boat when you face your storm? Is Jesus in your boat? The promise we have is storms may change us, but Jesus will always produce something in us.
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com.
Tagged: Jesus, Texas weather
