In Part One of this post, we talked about the fact that we are going to encounter storms/trials/problems in life. How we respond to them determines whether or not we are damaged or strengthened by the experience. We mentioned that the Bible provides three ways for responding to life’s storms. The first one that we mentioned was Rebuking the Storm. Jesus woke up from His nap and rebuked the storm that endangered Him and His disciples. Now we are going to look at the other two Biblical ways of responding to a storm.
2. Going Through it. There are storms/problems/trials that come our way that we are not going to be able to rebuke. We are going to have to ride it out. The Apostle Paul was a prisoner of the Roman Government and bound for Rome, where he would stand trial. The ship that he was on encountered a horrific storm in the Mediterranean Sea and was in danger of being destroyed by the pounding waves and devastating winds. This went on for two weeks.
Everyone on the ship was at the point of giving up. Everyone except Paul. Paul maintained his faith and positive outlook. God even sent an angel with a special message for Paul, “Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.” God promised that Paul would make it through the storm. The ship was eventually lost, but their lives were saved. Sometimes, we will have to just ride the storm out holding onto the promises that God has made to us. These promises may be all that we have left to hold onto but they are enough. The promises of God become like life-preservers to keep us from drowning as the storm rages around us.
3. Walking Over Life’s Storms. There was another time that Jesus’ disciples were in a boat and fighting a storm. The Lord was not with them in the boat. The waves were strong and they were in danger of having their boat swamped with water. Just when it looked like there was no hope, Jesus appeared beside the boat walking on the water. This was almost as scary as the storm!
What happened next is the stuff that legends are made of. Peter, the leader of the disciples, said, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.”
“All right, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.”
Rebuking the storm is exciting. Going through the storm is not easy. Walking over the storm looks like the best way to go! The Apostle Paul said that we are more than overcomers because of our relationship with Christ. Are you willing to step out of the boat during the storm/trial/problem and walk over the top of it?
How do you cope when you find yourself having to go through a storm?
Have you ever felt that you were walking with Jesus over the top of a storm/trial/problem?
We are so thankful for those who are investing in our ministry to Brazil! If you would like to be a part, here is the link. Obrigado! (Thank you!)
