★ Thought for the Day – The Storms of Life ★

You have probably heard this before about the “Storms of Life”…You are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or headed into a storm.  No one likes the Storms of Life.  They typically come at the worst times (although I don’t know when it is a good time for one)…whether it be financial storm, a physical illness/injury, a loss of a loved one, or problems at school/work or in a relationship; whatever the storm, you can be sure it will bring it’s fair share of stress, but it can also bring something else…a changed life!  Haruki Murakami said:

“And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in.”

I love that, and it is so true!  I can remember some really hard trials that I’ve gone through and when it was over the person I had become was very different, whether it be in strength, confidence or wisdom.  Often times, God uses adversity to help grow us for the next stage of life.

When you are in the middle of a storm, it is hard to see a way out, but that is where your faith must step in.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  

It doesn’t say have faith when things are going great; it says have faith WHEN WE CANNOT SEE.  Don’t base your decisions on what you are seeing or feeling at the moment, base them on the TRUTH and promises in God’s Word.

Here are some things to hold onto if you are in the midst of a difficult season:

1. God promises to never leave us or forsake us.  He is right there beside us, whatever we go through.  Deuteronomy 31:6 says:
   

   
   “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

2. God can bring something good out of any situation.  God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him (see Romans 8:28).  Trust God to use your current situation to mold you into something beautiful!   Isaiah 61:3 says,
   

   
   “He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for His own glory.”

   Look at the underlined portions of this verse.  He will make something beautiful out of it, you will be singing praises, you will be stronger than before, and most importantly, He will use it for His glory.

3. The things we go through in this life are temporary, but Jesus promises us that we can have peace because of what He did for us.  John 16:33 says:
   

   
   “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” 

We all go through different storms in this life, but no matter the storm, the answer, and the solution is the SAME…Lean into God and rely on His strength.  Arm yourself with Bible verses that you can speak out loud and pray when doubts and worries creep in.  Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. I will close with a quote from Mark Batterson’s “Draw the Circle Devotional:”

“Don’t just pray about it; act on it. There are defining moments in life when we need to prove to God that we mean business.”

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD!  There is hope; you just need to make the choice to trust Him.  If you are in a storm right now, just hold tighter because when you have weathered the storm, you will be amazed at who will be looking back at you in the mirror!

 

If you are interested you can read a related post called ★ Thought for the Day – Who’s Chasing You? ★

 

 

 

 

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