I AM NOT AFRAID OF STORMS FOR I AM LEARNING HOW TO SAIL MY SHIP.
- Louisa May Alcott
"Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials" (James 1:2)
Life can be a series of storms for long periods of time, but that does not mean we need to be afraid when the storm is surrounding us and causing our boat to be tossed to and fro.
Why? The reason is there is a source of strength that offers us deep inner peace and helps us to abide in Him and cling to the Rock (that is higher than I). Do you know where to go to find this “Rock?” When the storms of life tempt to run us ashore, the Rock (that is higher than I) is always close by and always reachable for safety from the storms and security to cling to. He opens His arms and invites us in, and like a mother hen, He shelters us under His wings while the storm passes by. Have you ever been to the Rock?
After all, “It is no secret what God can do, what He’s done for others, He will do for you. With arms wide open, He’ll see you through; it is no secret what God can do.” And all God’s children said, “AMEN!”
We can so easily get “caught up” in the affairs of the day – lose sight of the “Rock,” and float around banging into things that pass us by without noticing we are doing it. Can’t we? Have you been there—have you done that? Of course you have at some point in your life. We all have the scars to prove it. Don’t you hate it when you meet someone who has never experienced any storms in their life that they can remember? I mean there just are not very many of us out there. Jesus said there would be storms to contend with and sufferings to go through when we love Him. People who have not experienced storms and sufferings have always played in shallow water. As a child of God, storms can be healthy experiences if we let them. According to James, chapter one, verse two, we should welcome trials, which includes the stormy paths some of us walk on and the huge waves of disappointment that splash in our face and knock us off course from time to time. Life hurts! Life can be most disappointing at times. Life can overtake us at times because of the storms we encounter and the lack of faith we display. It is a growing process to mature spiritually – step by step – one step at a time.
So where is your faith? I mean, even though the boat was rocking back and forth and the waves on the Sea of Galilee were getting bigger and bigger, the Lord was asleep. That’s right—ASLEEP! Snoozing away like a baby all content and safe. However, the disciples feared for their lives. “Wake up!” they screamed at the Lord, “Or we will all perish!” What message had they missed? The Lord said, “Oh ye of little faith!” They were with God Himself, and yet got scared of the storm and missed the opportunity of experiencing contentment in the middle of the storm. How sad. We all can relate. What would it have been like if they had each just laid down and went to asleep, too, because they realized God was in the boat, how could a storm hurt them when God was in the boat? It couldn’t. The story would have been a lot different if the Lord could have praised them for their faith, wouldn’t it have? As human beings we continually disappoint our Lord and Savior by the way we live, and the things we refuse to accept by faith. We so quickly, in our human selves, forget that the Lord is in the boat, and begin looking for a way to save ourselves. Guess what? It doesn’t work that way.
By faith—Noah; by faith—Abraham; by faith—Moses; by faith—Sarah, and on and on the list goes. So why do storms come into our life? I believe, most of the time, to test our faith. To remind us that God is in the boat, that no storms of any kind can harm us when God is in the boat. And the beauty of the thing is that GOD IS ALWAYS IN THE BOAT! Hang onto that promise, my friend. You do want to learn how to sail your ship, don’t you?
Choose this day not be afraid of the storms because you have learned to sail your ship—you have put your life in the control of the Captain of your ship, which is the Lord. He is the Captain of your soul—He is the only one that can steady the boat and ride the waves right on through the storm and teach you the lessons of life that will keep you close to Him. Never doubt it!
The lesson we must learn is to keep our eyes on the Lord so that when our faith is strong and we dare to venture out of the boat onto the stormy sea, we will reach the Lord and at the same time “walk on water.” Like the book title says, “If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat!” Where are you, these days in your faith walk? Still riding the waves on your own?
Maybe you still feel that you do not need the "Rock" to cling to, but if that is the case—the day will come when you will change your mind. Why wait till it is too late? How foolish? The devil believes in God and trembles; the demons believe in God and tremble. Who are we; mere mankind that mocks God by saying, “There is no God!” How completely foolish that somehow we think we can outwit our Creator. Dumb! And yet dumber still!
It looks like a beautiful summer day, so I believe I will take my sailboat out for a spin across the gentle waves and enjoy the sunshine of the Lord as He gets comfortable in the back of my boat to take a snooze. I have no need to fear—God is here!
