Weathering The Storm
This devotional is written for those who are walking through a storm in their life.
Day 1: Seek Shelter
Several years ago, we had a terrible storm while we were at home together. Me, my husband, and our two young children (6 and 8) were at home when the wind and rain picked up quickly. My in-laws had been out riding their horses, and we saw them gallop past our house headed home quickly. My husband turned on the TV to see if the local news had any storm warnings (we live in a rural area with no weather sirens). I looked out our patio door to see my horse frantically running in circles and said out loud, “weird, it looks like the rain is going two different directions.” Just as soon as I finished the sentence, there was a loud bang, the interior doors of the house all slammed closed, and my husband had me and our two children in the bathroom holding on to all three of us and telling us it was okay. We all began to pray together until the noise died down. When we emerged from our bathroom, there was a cloud of dust settling across the entire house. Two of the windows had blown out of the windowsills and into the bedrooms. When we walked outside, we saw trees down on either side of our home, limbs and debris all over, and pieces of our neighbor’s shed wrapped around trees. My father-in-law ran up to our house to check on us. He and my mother-in-law had both barely made it home on their horses before pieces of the neighbors shed began flying by. Everyone on the farm was safe, including all our animals.
Later, a weather chaser stopped at our house to make sure everyone was okay. He showed us a video of the tornado that “hit” our home. He also told us how it had split in half in front of our home and then came back together a few miles later. The tornado that demolished our neighbor’s shed had split in two and went around our home on either side. God had protected us even when we didn’t know we needed it. Our first thought had only been to find shelter. Before we ever thought to pray, we found shelter.
God’s word tells us to seek shelter in Him. From taking shelter under His wings to being taken to a high mountain, God’s word tells us many times to seek shelter in Him. Letting God provide shelter for us is not the same as ignoring the storm. Taking shelter means we let God take the wind and the rain for us while we remain in the storm. Some storms just can’t be avoided, even if we want to, because they come up out of nowhere and surprise you. We can be assured that God can provide shelter for us right where we are…even in the worst of storms.
Reflection:
Imagine a safe place. A place where you could safely ride out a storm without worries. Imagine God picking you up and taking you to that place. No matter what happens outside, you remain safe. Ask God for shelter during your storm. Thank him for His shelter in the storms of your life - past, present, and future.
Scriptures for today:
Nahum 1:7
Isaiah 25:4-5
Psalm 91:1-5
Psalm 27:4-6
Isaiah 4:6
Day 2: Take Your Thoughts Captive
When I was young, we had an alarm at school that signaled bad weather. In our area of the world, the worst of bad weather is a tornado. When the alarm would go off, students would yell “TORNADO DRILL” and everyone would get up and go to the hallway, get down on the ground, and put our head on the ground with our hands covering our head. There wasn’t much about the process that felt comforting. Kids would often get upset and cry even if it was a drill and not a real alarm. Contrast this with my workplace - we call the same type of alarm a “Seek Shelter” alarm. People casually leave their work areas to go wait in storm shelters. Instead of focusing on the reason we are there, the alarm name instead focuses on the action we should take. This is often how life is for us. When we have a storm in our life our thoughts go straight to tornado - we focus on the storm itself instead of our actions to weather the storm. Our thoughts can run wild, running through worst case scenarios and worrying about outcomes. We must learn to control our thoughts and focus them back on what God says. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Instead of thinking “tornado” when the storm comes, we must instead think “seek shelter” by taking those thoughts captive and making them obey God’s Word.
Reflection:
Think of the storms in your life. The things that are weighing you down and stressing you. Now…focus instead on the actions you need to take. How can you move from this place into another place? If you feel as though there is nothing you can do, you must pray and wait. Quiet your thoughts and focus on the outcome you want to see. Don’t think about anything other than what is possible with God. Get your hopes up. God is capable of all things. Pray big and expect big things. God is a miracle worker.
Scriptures for today:
2 Corinthians 10:5
Day 3: Look to Heaven
Some time ago, I had a vision during a prayer meeting of a storm cloud among a vast and beautiful endless sky. The storm cloud was terrible. Just seeing it sent terror through me. There was lightning shooting from the clouds down to the ground and the clouds were a horrible darkness that didn’t allow any light to penetrate the ground. The worst part - the part that made my hands shake and my voice crack - the lightning was directed at people. The people were trapped under the horrible storm and every time they tried to break free a bolt of lightning would shoot through the sky and down to the ground to keep them trapped in the terrible darkness. The vision left me filled with emotions, primarily anger. I was angry that the cloud kept those under it trapped - that it was small and yet it did so much damage to those trapped.
Filled with emotion and confusion, I told my prayer group about the vision. My Pastor thought for a minute and then responded. He focused not on the terror the vision caused me. Instead, he directed my attention to the cloud being small, a detail I noticed right from the beginning of the vision. I knew it was small, but in the midst of the vision, I had lost sight of the full picture. I was angry that such a small storm cloud could produce such devastation. What I failed to grasp during the vision (even though God clearly showed me) was the perfect giant sky around the cloud.
There are times in life where we get trapped in a storm. Some of those storms are devastating. I’ve been there and felt the devastation of a storm that gutted me. Some days I still mourn from that storm. Those storms, although devastating, they are small in comparison to the life God has for us. These storms will pass. Just as God showed me the beauty and enormity of the sky on the other side, He will do the same for you. The sun is always shining, regardless of what we see around us. There has never been one day of your life where the sun failed to come up. That means that even on the worst day, the sun is still shining.
When the storm is at its darkest…the sun is still shining.
When the wind and rain are fierce…the sun is still shining.
When the sky lights up with lightning…the sun is still shining.
When the fog is thick, and the day is filled with gloom…the sun is still shining.
Even when you can’t see it, it is still there. It may not have broken through the clouds, but it is there.
Jesus is the light in the darkness.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 NIV
Look up, remember your Savior, remember His Word, and stay steadfast in prayer. If you struggle to pray, imagine that safe place where God has you sheltered. Many times when I pray, I imagine myself in a dark room. It is warm and the ground is soft, like a tent in the desert. The room is large, and I pray in the middle of it. As I pray, the room fills with a dark pink cloud from the upper right corner. I don’t know why I imagine this, but it fills my mind often when I pray. This vision helps me focus my mind and clear it of everything else trying to take over. I focus on my Lord and Savior and listen for His voice.
Reflection:
Imagine again the place where you feel safe, where God provides shelter from the storm, and you feel comfortable and at peace. Imagine Him there with you. Focus on Him as you pray. Ask Him for what you need and tell Him how you feel.
Scriptures for today:
John 1:5
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Day 4: Keep Your Feet Moving and Your Head Down
Horses are a funny animal. They are big and intimidating, yet most horses I’ve seen can get scared at the smallest thing. I once had a horse nearly turn and run all the way home because a plastic bag scared her! But…there are several ways to help keep them calm. For some reason (beyond my understanding), they will calm down when you get them to lower their heads. They are in a trusting and calm position when they drop their heads. If you want to get a horse through a stressful situation, you get them to drop their head and you keep their feet moving. This is much the same as our relationship with God. Sometimes in life’s storms, we don’t have the strength to stand boldly and walk with our heads up, sometimes we need to drop our heads and just keep our feet moving.
In the book of Judges, God calls Gideon to lead the people of Israel. Gideon questions God multiple times and even tests God over and over. It is almost hard to read the passages about Gideon because I keep waiting for God to get angry with him! God doesn’t get angry. He doesn’t choose someone else. He doesn’t abandon him. He listens to him and talks with him. After several questions from Gideon, God tells him this…
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14 NIV
God continues to direct him back. He continues to focus him on his assignment. God knows Gideon does not feel prepared to do what he needs to do, but he continues to reassure him, and he tells him, “Go with the strength you have.” Sometimes we don’t feel we have enough strength to do what we need to do, but God assures us that He has enough. If we continue forward with the strength we have, God will give us what we need.
Reflection:
If you are feeling weighed down by the storm, be assured you can still walk out of it. It is okay to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and move slowly. Keep your head down, your feet moving, and go with the strength you have. The storm will pass, and you will again be able to walk boldly with the full confidence of God’s promises.
Scriptures for today:
Judges 6:11-40
Day 5: Step Out
My favorite passage about storms is the story of Jesus and Peter walking on water. In Matthew 14:22-33 it says, “Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.”
Peter is the only disciple to step out of the boat. The others didn’t. The passage tells us they were afraid, even thinking Jesus was a ghost. They were not ready to leave the boat. Only Peter was ready to leave the boat. He could have said anything to Jesus, but he said, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” When Jesus responded he went over the side of the boat and began walking on water - seems like he really wanted out of that boat!
When Peter sees all the things around him in the storm that he cannot control (“But when he saw…”), he begins to sink. Peter steps out of the boat in full faith and then he took his eyes off Jesus – the wind, the waves, the sky all became bigger than his faith – faith took a back seat to fear. BUT then Jesus lifts him up out of the water. When we step out in faith, Jesus will not let us drown!
When you are ready to walk out of the storm, you can step out and know that Jesus will not let you drown. Even if the storm overcomes your faith, Jesus will be there to give you a hand and lift you up again.
Reflection:
Imagine a time when you were bold and courageous. A time when your faith was strong, and you felt you could take on anything with Jesus by your side. During a storm, it may feel that you will never return to this type of faith. But you will. Our God will provide shelter for you as long as you need it. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will be your strength and source. When you are ready, step out of the boat and don’t look back. Don’t look right or left. Keep your eyes focused only on your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Scriptures for today:
Matthew 14:22-33
Proverbs 4:25-27
This devotional was provided by members of Faith Chapel Church. For more information or to contact us, visit faithchapelchurch.com.