The Storms Of Life

AS I WRITE THIS DEVOTION, the east coast of Florida is preparing for a category 5 hurricane. We know the drill: stock up on bottled water and nonperishable food; make sure the flashlights and generator are working; and fill up the gas tanks in our cars. We take the warnings seriously and prepare.

Are you prepared for a major storm? Your storm might not be nature related, like a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood, or earthquake. It could be physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, or financial. And whether the category of your storm is a one or a ten, it’s important to be prepared.

Years ago, I sat in a hospital waiting room in the Philippines while my young daughter Katie had surgery. We were so far from home, and I felt alone. My eyes began to fill with tears. Only God could hear my silent cry, and I begged the Lord to direct me to a passage that would encourage me in the midst of my storm. As I flipped through the pages of my Bible, my compassionate God answered my simple prayer with special verses for that storm and many storms to come.

Psalm 62:5-8 has become my security passage, the place I run to when a storm is approaching. As I sat alone in the waiting room that day, I memorized its life-impacting verses. Although I often put verses to common tunes, this was a special passage, so I asked the Lord for a special tune. I can’t explain how it happened, but by the time I was allowed to see my daughter, the verses and the tune were mine.

My soul, wait in silence for God only,

For my hope is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

On God my salvation and my glory rest;

The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

These verses draw me to God alone: my rock, salvation, stronghold, strength, glory, and refuge. I can trust Him with every challenge and pour out my heart to Him anytime, all the time. As thankful as I am for my family, friends, pastors, and resources, God is my source of real hope, the only One who can prevent the circumstances of life from shaking my faith.

Even when our walk with the Lord is stable and our faith is strong, we can still be shaken by a storm. Luke, author of one of the Gospels and the book of Acts, related firsthand how he and 275 other ship passengers lost hope during a storm on the Mediterranean Sea (see Acts 27:20, 37). The incredible aspect of this story is that the apostle Paul was in the ship with them, yet they still lost hope. As helpful and encouraging as the Christians in our lives can be, we cannot place our faith in people; they are human and fallible like we are.

Anyone can lose hope when a storm rages. Our emotions can rise and fall like the waves of the sea that nearly capsized the ship in this story. The crew was forced to jettison cargo and run the vessel aground on the island of Malta. A sea, like our circumstances, can transition from calm to rough in a matter of minutes. That’s also true of our health, finances, relationships, plans, and dreams. Our faith must rely on God and His steadfast Word, which is inspired, reliable, and unchangeable! Paul encouraged every passenger and member of the crew to keep up their courage during the storm. Our supernatural courage results from the security that God gives and has promised in His Word. Read it, memorize it, engraft it, count on it!

We need to prepare for our storms now, before we hear the forecast, receive the test results, or open the email. Before more time and more storms pass. The news outlets are helpful, but the forecast changes as often as we change the channel. Our unchanging, sovereign, trustworthy God has worked through men to write a book packed with inspired words that give us hope in the midst of life’s storms. We can prepare now by choosing verses we can cling to when hurricane-force winds blow our way.

REFLECTION

I’m not blessed with a great voice, but when a storm is forecast, I can lay my head on my pillow and sing my verses to the Lord, and somehow that’s enough! My heart is drawn to the Lord, the source of peace, hope, forgiveness, love, strength, courage, and more. Are you prepared for the approaching storm? Find “your” security verses, and then work to memorize them. Putting them to a tune isn’t necessary, but you might enjoy the process.