What do you do when the storms of life hit?
Do you sit and cry? Yes.
Do you ask God ‘why’? Yes.
Do you moan in agony over the losses suffered? Yes.
Do you feel defeated? Yes.
Do you feel overwhelmed? Yes.
Do you ask for help? Yes.
Do you pray? Yes.
Are you comforted? Yes.
Do you despair? No.
Is your faith shaken? Yes.
Does your faith shatter? No.
Does the storm seem to never end? Yes.
Are you heartbroken? Yes.
Does God care? Yes.
Is God with you? Yes.
Do you feel alone? Yes.
Are you alone? No.
These are difficult questions, but they have simple answers. I know. I have just been through a storm.
On August 20, 2005, my house on the mission field was destroyed by a flood. Unusually heavy rains fell in our area which broke a retaining wall. The water and sewage came in quickly and ruined most everything on our main living floor. My family and I got out safely and we were able to recover many personal items, but we lost all of our furniture and appliances. Our house was built out of cement in a sub-Saharan region of Africa, a place where flooding was nonexistent until that day. I had just started teaching at the MK school fours days before the flood came. This crisis was a first for our family, and we were numbed and shocked by the devastation. We stayed at our mission guest home for 6 weeks and are now moved into a nice apartment, but our lives were completely flipped upside down during this time of testing.
God used this ‘storm’ in my personal walk with Him in many ways. He brought a flood to the desert to remind me of a few things!
- He is in charge, not I.
- He loves me and will take care of me when the circumstances of life are unbelievably crazy.
- He holds me close to Himself in the midst of the storm, flood, or whatever trial I am faced with.
- He is my God.
- He is faithful and will be my Shelter.
- He wants complete obedience from me even when things seem bleak.
- He will provide for my physical, spiritual and emotional needs.
- He is my sufficiency.
- He gives strength when I am weak.
- He gives encouragement when I am downhearted.
The following verses encouraged me through this storm:
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4: 7-8
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Isaiah 43:1-2
If you are in a storm right now, I hope you will be encouraged as I am today.
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