Storms of Life

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on Thee;
because he trusteth in Thee.
Trust ye in the Lord forever:
for in the Lord JEHOVAH
is everlasting strength.
Isaiah 26:3,4

You may have heard of it or even seen the movie but “The Perfect Storm” was a real incident that happened October 30, 1991. The Andrea Gail was a swordfish fishing boat manned by six experienced fishermen. They were out to sea when bad weather moved in quicker than expected. It ended up that three massive storms collided and that boat was caught in it, and the crew was unable to control the boat. The six men were killed in the horrendous weather event that many referred to as the “No-Name Storm.”

Storms happen all the time. Most of us will experience storms of various intensity on land but not necessarily on the water. There are places though where storms at sea can arise almost out of no where. Folks on those seas can be in serious danger. Such is the way it is with the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Winds can sweep down from the Mediterranean Sea through a mountainous area and can whip into the area of that sea. Severe storms have been experienced by fishermen on the Sea of Galilee for centuries.

I can't say I've ever been in a terrible storm at sea but I've been in storms of various intensities on land. Some were storms of different kinds but they are never fun. Some cause great damage to property while some may do no more than water one's lawn with some sound effects thrown in. Storms generally come with some warning. Weathermen get on TV with alerts about oncoming storms. In the distance, dark clouds can form and move quickly along with thunder and lightening. We may be cautioned to take cover for safety reasons. During a storm, nerves can become frayed and when over, hopefully, calm is restored.

There are other storms of life other than those of nature. Satan has a way of stirring up things in our lives that can keep us in turmoil and living on the edge of seeming insanity. Even without Satan stepping in, we can often create our own negative situations in our own power. However the storms come our way, they cause us great discomfort, stress and misery.

Mark 4 gives us a favorite story of the disciples and Jesus in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. We read that there “arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.” Four of those men had been career fishermen. They knew the dangers and knew that particular sea. If they were scared out of their minds, then there was reason for it thanks to their own life experiences.

Where was Jesus in all of this? He was in the back of the boat asleep on a pillow. He had taught and preached that day and being the human being He was, He was weary to the point that He could sleep even with all of the noise and confusion going on. The disciples woke Him while in their state of panic. Didn't Jesus even care that all of them were near drowning?

Jesus arose, spoke to the wind and then to the sea saying, “Peace, be still.” The wind stopped and the sea became calm...all in an instant.

Over the last couple of weeks, I think from about four different sources, I have heard a certain phrase. It may have been worded differently each time but each version said the same thing,

being...”When you accepted Jesus as Savior, He got into your boat and will never get out of it.” During any time of testing or trial (storms), I have the same access to Jesus as those disciples had in that storm tossed boat except for His human form. In my boat, He sees everything going on in my life. Just as it was with the disciples, I can cry out to Him anytime a storm of any kind strikes my life. At times, it may seem that He is asleep and I may feel like the disciples did for a bit....”Don't You care what I'm going through?” Sure He knows and He has all the answers. If He doesn't choose to calm a storm in my life, He certainly has assured me that He is always with me and will never forsake me.

Some storms in my life have been meant to bring correction while others are meant to teach me...teach me how to trust Him more and to know Him better. I don't like storms. I like my life to be calm and uninterrupted but life isn't like that for us, is it? The biggest lesson for me to learn is that I must keep my focus on Jesus and not on the storm. The storm will rob me of physical energy and spiritual strength.

The simple fact is:

Peace isn't the absence of
problems, but
is the very presence of Jesus.

Dear Jesus...Thank You for being my peace, my joy and my everything. I'm more than grateful that You are in my boat of life and that I can call on You at anytime whether in joy or during the stormy times of life. I love you more than I can express. Amen