Storms of Life

Believers are not protected from the storms of life. There is no "problem free" ticket that God guarantees us if we stand by him. Many times storms happen while we are very close to him, as with Job. On occasion we attract storms to ourselves through our own actions. They have nothing to do with God's direction and are simply consequences of our own choices. However, we can have confidence that he will never abandon us in the times of tribulation in our lives no matter where they come from.

God stills the winds and waves of the storms so we don't capsize into the depths of sin, to be lost forever. God is our safe place. Jesus is truly our Savior, pulling us from the storm when we cry out to him.  He may not act until we turn to him and seek his help. The purpose is to remind us that we can not save ourselves. Storms have a way of humbling us and bringing us to our knees for prayer. 

Tribulations should drive us toward God and not away from the comfort his word can provide. In doing so it brings understanding and growth providing a better reflection of the image of God others see in us. Like purifying silver by holding it to the flame, God purifies us, melting iniquity from our souls. Since the only God some people see is what they see through us, this is very inportant in spreading the gospel.

It is always better to live our faith instead of just quote it. Children learn by the example we set in our everyday lives. They can be a good barometer of how we are doing as Christians; they are a true reflection of ourselves. Because the most stressful sitiuation in life is not having something to believe in it is our duty as parents to educate them in scripture. It is imperitive to equip them with a strong sense of faith that will carry them through the storms of life.

Meditating on God's word through the storms we face makes this much easier because we are essentually the total sum of our thoughts brought forth in our actions. Teaching our children this habit can change their direction if they are wandering down the wrong path. Adults are no different, we cannot convert non-believers by acting like them, and so we should live out our faith in our actions everyday.

We should truely thank God for the storms he sends into our lives, for without them we would seldom draw closer to him. It's one of the ways he uses to gain our attention in an otherwise busy world. What situations has he used in your life lately to get your attention and how did it benefit you in your walk with God? If we all share our experiences perhaps we can learn from each other.