Storms of Life

Many times life-storms pop up unexpectedly -- a sudden illness, overwhelmed by the busy-ness of life, financial issues, terminal disease, a personal tragedy. It does seem to pile on. During some of these storms we experience the very power and presence of God -- how comforting that is!

Sometimes, though, just when we feel like we need an extra measure of God's presence, why does it seem like we're praying to a wall? We pray and pray and enlist others for prayer, and still we ask -- where is God? Is God on vacation during this most difficult of personal trials? Is He asleep at the wheel? Where was God during that time?

The disciples certainly felt like that -- there they were, on a boat in the middle of the lake when suddenly a furious storm popped up. Jesus was in the boat, but asleep. How many times have we found ourselves screaming, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown in this sea of debt! We're going to die! We're going to divorce! We're going to lose our job, our house!"

There was no shrill panic in Jesus' voice as He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"

You see, we may not sense Christ's tangible presence in our lives at times, during storms of life. But for followers of Jesus, He is still in the boat. It is up to us as believe in His power and presence not based on our personal feelings, but based on His perfect promises. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age," Jesus said [Matthew 28:20b].

So -- what do we do? When we get bombarded by the storms of life -- a sudden summer thunderstorm or a Category 5 hurricane -- we don't tell our God how big the storm is. We tell the storm how big our God is. We pray -- not for His presence which is already there -- but for the peace that passes all understanding, a peace that only Christ can provide, and for clarity and a sense of His perfect will in whatever decisions need to be made.

Christ sometimes shields His presence from us for one purpose -- to make us hunger for it all the more, for us to realize we cannot do this alone. We cannot go through these storms by ourselves. We need Christ. Faith is about having the good sense to know that even if we cannot feel His presence, He's still in power and control. There is peace in God's will and presence.

Do not be afraid. Christ is still on the boat.