Not Just When We're Plain Sailing...

Life throws buckets of water at us doesn't it? In fact, at times, literally storms. It's in these times, we are truly put to the test. It's often in the most chaotic of circumstances, that we lose our ability to keep our faith in God. The past month for me, has been a storm. More of a tropical one though. Moments of intense rainy periods, but most often followed by gleaming sunshine and calm. I like to think, I've been expectant of the good, post storm periods. 

Imagine the disciples in the boat, there's a huge storm happening and Jesus is fast asleep. In other words, life is going absolutely berserk, and the one who everyone thinks can solve the issue is fast asleep. In these moments of life, sometimes our minds tell us to prepare the life boats, and get ready to abandon ship. It takes alot of faith, to look beyond what the world tells us is likely to be inevitable. 

Do we always seek what is possible for God to accomplish? 

Do we rely on Him enough? 

Faith encourages us not to accept what is the norm, not what the world says will happen or what usually happens in these circumstances. Faith enables us to ride the stormy seas. Not abandoning everything to what appears to be swallowing us up, but to let God captain the whole vessel. God, who is creator, the one who says "Quiet! Be still!" and the waters listen. 

Sometimes, we tell ourselves we've got faith, but still remain sceptical and afraid. Have you ever encountered someone, (or even yourself perhaps?), who you thought had incredible faith,  but when the storms rage, they turn out to share a "more realistic" view, just 'incase' the God bit doesn't quite work out? 

Jesus asks his disciples after ordering the storm to be still, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?". You see, sometimes we have to encounter Jesus before we can truly believe. When we meet Him, we get to know Him, and know what He is capable of doing. There's no room for scepticism in faith, but plenty of space for God to suprise us. .  

What storms are you wrestling with at the moment?

We don't have to try and handle anything alone. We simply have to just surrender all of our insecurities to God, and He will steer us through everything in life. 


I've witnessed the awesomeness of God's power in recent weeks. Because for once, I've had to put my all into trusting God, in what seemed a situation beyond any human redemption. Instead I put my arms out to the one who can move mountains and said "you're in charge God!" And as Psalm 138:3 says "When I called on your name you answered".


Jesus' disciples must have been petrified, panicking and anxious during the storm. But when they woke Jesus, we don't read of his reaction being the same. Jesus simply brought calm. Psalm 29: 11 says "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."  

This morning, me and Rach read Acts 27: 13-26, The Storm. A story of when a ship was caught in a storm with Paul and some of his friends on board. Paul writes "When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." It must have been a terrifying experience. We can only imagine how desperate they would all have been. But Paul tells all on board "But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed." And this is true for us all today. The world can take away everything we have, but the thing it cannot take away, is eternity with God. 


Paul encourages those on board : "So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."


It's comforting to know that through faith, God gives us the strength we need to face the uncertainties of life. Faith, is not just for when we're plain sailing, but when the waters are stormy. 


Why not reflect on these words: "Be still and know that I am God!" Psalm 46:10