“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So, don’t be troubled or afraid.” ~ John 14:27, NLT
An Unexpected Storm
A lot has changed over a short period of time. The unexpected circumstances we face have left many people uncertain about what the future holds.
Have you ever faced an unexpected storm in your life? Maybe the sudden loss of a job, a terminal health diagnosis, a tragic accident, the loss of a loved one, a divorce.
An unexpected storm may feel like a setback, but I believe it is a set up for God’s glory to be revealed in ways that we would never have imagined.
Jesus says in John 16:33, “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.”
God never promised life without storms. But he promised to be with us when we face them. ~ Max Lucado, Anxious for Nothing.
Our Faith Exposed
Nothing shakes our faith like a storm we didn’t see coming and it takes us completely off guard.
Our disappointment in circumstances that don’t go our way exposes our faith. We may say that we trust God when everything is going well. But when things go wrong, our actions and reactions betray us and reveal our lack of trust in God.
I am not proclaiming to be a faith giant by any stretch because there have been times when fear has overwhelmed me over a situation that was beyond my control.
And it exposed how little my faith was. I realized how weak I am but how strong God is. How’s that for an honest truth.
Friend, let’s be honest. We’re human and we will wrestle with fear when faced with uncertainties and unexpected circumstances. But we don’t have to be overcome by fear because “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7
Overwhelmed by the Storm
In Matthew 8:23-27, “Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
The reaction of the disciples to the unexpected and fierce storm they faced while Jesus was asleep in the boat, consoles me to know that I’m not alone in my frantic reaction to the storms of life. And you’re not either.
Even the disciples who had been with Jesus and seen him do miraculous signs, were afraid that they were going to drown in the storm.
Have you ever been overwhelmed by a difficult problem or hard circumstances that it felt like you were drowning? Or uncertainties that made you frantic and frazzled? And you wonder where is God in the storm?
Power Over the Storm
When Jesus rebukes the storm, it obeys him and becomes completely calm. His frantic disciples were in shock and speechless to realize that with them was someone who had power over the storm.
Even though it seemed as if Jesus was asleep during the storm, because he was with them, no matter how furious the storm seemed, it couldn’t drown them. For with them, was One who had power over the storm.
As you face unexpected storms in your life, hold on to this truth. No matter how uncertain and scary your circumstances may seem, Jesus is with you in the storm, so you will not drown.
Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
Uncommon Peace
Jesus promises us a gift of peace that the world cannot give. (John 14:27) An uncommon peace which exceeds anything we can understand. (Philippians 4:7)
He is the prince of peace. And his special gift of peace, calms the chaos, settles our anxiety, lifts our worries and expels the fear in our hearts and minds from the storms of life.
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Susan Egbe-Tanyi, MD is a board-certified family medicine physician. She is also the founder of Empowered Women Faith Club, where she writes to empower women to live confidently knowing who they are as daughters of God and encourages weary moms to find strength in God through the journey of motherhood. She is a wife, mother of three treasured kids, a passionate follower of Christ, lover of nature and a servant at heart. She practices medicine in North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and three children.
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