Caught In the Storms of Life

We all get caught up and ensnared in the storms of life at various times. We get pulled in by the whirlwind of life’s difficulties and try to ride out the storm the best we know how. We implement life learned strategies and attempt to get control of the ongoing situation. It is similar to going surfing, trying to ride out the big wave without tumbling from our surfboards. We use various maneuvers to prevent ourselves from toppling overboard. Often, the wave is just too large and powerful to ride out or overcome. And so we end up falling helplessly into the rushing water and try desperately to keep our heads above water. We paddle for our lives in the thrashing waters and are often pulled in by the velocity of the powerful surf. We come up gasping for breath, and scramble for the nearest life preserver. Yet we get back on the very same board and do it all over again. Calm waters then arrive and we wait for the next big wave to come to ride it out once again.

You would think we would be content with the stillness, the calm, and the lack of the turbulent waters. In my own life I have experienced the calm and it actually made me feel uncomfortable! Has this ever happened to you? Is it because we know it won’t be long before the waters will rise up and get murky and turbulent again? Can we learn to be content and at peace when times are without chaos? Can we adapt to peace filled moments and rest in them, without the expectation of what’s coming down the road? Can we become masters in the season of waiting so that we can achieve that peaceful state the Lord loves for us to remain in, no matter what ? Can we face the storms of life with a new perspective and not one of hesitancy or dread? Can we become content and at peace in the season of waiting?  

Here is a biblical verse I found regarding the season of waiting. Isaiah 40:31 (NASB), But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strenth; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. After reading the verse this was my understanding of it. In the seasons of waiting we are recharged and restored. Our strength is renewed during our times of waiting. It is in the quiet times, absent of the storms, that we gather up strength and are fortified once again. If we look at waiting as a season of replenishment, nourishment for our souls, maybe we can allow ourselves to be content with the peace and quiet. Resting on the surfboard of life and taking in all of God’s majesty; feeling the breeze upon our face, the healing light shining down upon us, and the calm water lapping softly beneath us.

Just because life lessons have taught us to cope in certain ways, doesn’t mean they are what is best for us. We just aren’t meant to carry these burdens. We are meant to be at peace, no matter WHAT we face! We are all works in progress. We have been transformed by the Lord. Let us walk peacefully along side of Him, enjoying the gift of each moment. Whether the waters are calm or turbulent, nothing should change our faith and belief in Him. The Lord’s love is always there. His promises are still the truths that we know. His Presence is ever constant, no matter WHAT! HE doesn’t change. We do. What He has promised us will never change. We allow life’s circumstances to absorb us, we often become immersed in them. We often get fearful during these times of wait, feeling on guard of what’s to come. The battle has already been won! We are not and will not be defeated!

Can we lay down our armor and just rest in His Presence just for a time? Can we see life through the Lord’s spiritual eyes and not in the humanness of our own? Let’s enjoy the peace and calm without the fear about what comes next. Savor this moment. Savor the stillness. Claim the renewing and restoration that is taking place. Draw closer to the Lord, rest your weary head down upon His mighty shoulders. Let Him be your strength. Let Him surround you with His Presence of peace. Allow the calmness to settle deep within your soul. We can do this!

Instead of waiting on the next wave to hit, let’s wait upon our Lord! Let’s wait upon His blessings, mercy, and grace. We need to learn how to wait upon the Lord. The Hebrew word for wait is “qavah” which literally translates as “to bind together like a cord.” So it is the strands wound together that gives it strength. No one cord alone is strong enough. When we are bound together with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, an unbreakable chain is formed.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT), A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

 

We need to entwine ourselves with the Lord and His truths. What are some ways we can take these times of wait and not only rest but also replenish? These are some examples of ways we can take our seasons of wait and strengthen our cords of faith:

1) Read the Bible daily–
Romans 15:4 (KJV) “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Psalms 119:105 (KJV)- Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalm 32:8 (ESV) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

2)Pray Daily-
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:2-3(NIV) 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

3)Be spiritually fed by the Bible, Prayer, Christian friends, Worship music, Bible Studies, Christian Authors and Speakers etc (As long as it follows according to God’s written word.)
2 Peter 3:18(KJV)- But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Colossians 1:9 – 1:12 (KJV) 9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Romans 1:12 (ESV) That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

4)Keep our focus upon God
Hebrews 12:2 (NLT) We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

5) Speak out to others about Jesus, share His truths, minister to those in need, be the Lord’s hands, feet, and mouthpiece
Romans 10:9 (ESV) Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Ephesians 5:1 (ESV) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

Acts 18:9-10 (ESV) And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

6) Attend church, fellowship with other believers
Romans 12:5 (ESV) So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Psalm 122:1 (ESV) A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

7)Rest In His Presence, savoring the stillness and peace that it provides

Genesis 2: 2-3 (NIV) “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

Exodus 33:14 (NIV) “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV) “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Hebrews 4: 9-11 (NIV) “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Psalm 62:5 (NIV) “Yes, my soul, find rest in God: my hope comes from him.”

Psalm 116:7 (NIV) “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”

Psalm 131:2 (NIV) “But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.”

Philippians 4:12 (NIV)“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

So as we weave our cords of faith in the times of waiting we form an unbreakable bond with the Lord. The next time you are in a season of wait I pray you can spend it weaving your cords of faith. I pray you are filled with an overwhelming sense of peace, and that you immerse yourself fully in it. The tides and seasons of life come and go, turbulent waters will wash upon us, but we don’t need to spend our time worried about how we will face them. Just rest in the now. The Lord will always prepare us for what is to come. Rest and be at peace in His promises.

Blessings to you all,

Susan