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How to Depend on Jesus when facing the Storms of Life
I have heard it said often that, “Everyone has issues.” Everybody faces trials and testings, sometimes known as “storms” in this life. Often these crisis times come by sickness, loss of income, poor management of money, accidents, health issues, poor decisions, and/or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Some storms we face are literal; hurricanes, tornadoes, avalanches, etc. Some are from bad choices; alcohol abuse, smoking, drug abuse, etc. How does a person cope?
For the believer in Jesus Christ, (a person who has put their trust in Christ as Savior—see Romans 10:9-10) we have God’s Word, the Bible, to help us in these turbulent times. God’s Word helps us face the storms of life. One particular passage, Mark 4:35-41, reveals how we can depend on Jesus when facing these storms. Let’s discover together…
35 On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 [a]Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and [b]it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you [c]afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:35-41, NIV)
We can face the storms of life by praying. (Mark 4:38)
Notice what the disciples in the boat did when the storm came upon them. The squad came up, and the waves broke on the boat. Scripture says that “It was nearly swamped.” The Disciples did not waste anytime but woke Jesus up. This tells me they knew the answer to their problem. It is going to Jesus. We may not know the answers to life’s trials, but we can go to the “One” who does, Jesus Christ.
Prayer is a marvelous way to communicate with God. The Apostle Paul was so convinced that he wrote,“17 pray without ceasing” 1 Thess. 5:17 NASB. Keep on praying. Pray all the time. It is wonderful to know that we can talk to God in prayer continually. So when we face the storms, trials, battles, difficulties in life, our first response is to go to Jesus and pray.
What the disciples did is come to Christ, asking him a question, “Don’t you care if we drown?” (v.38) We can come to Jesus with our questions. A dreadful fear motivated this question. The disciples were afraid that the boat would be capsized and they would drown in the storm.
Are you overwhelmed with a “storm”? The best solution is to turn to Jesus, seek Him and pray. He will give you the strength to endure.
We can face the storms of life by trusting Christ
It is one thing to ask Jesus for help; it is another thing to let Him work. The disciples woke Jesus up (v.38-39), thinking he did not care. Jesus get’s up and rebukes the wind and the waves saying, “Quiet, Be Still!” Scripture says the waves, the wind, the sea became completely calm. Jesus can handle the issues that you and I face. Our part is to let him work. We need to trust Jesus - his timing is always perfect. A dear saint said once, “Jesus is never early, nor late, He is always on time!” Meaning that Christ is in control, he understands, and he is working on our behalf. He wants his will accomplished through the storms we face. We have to let God work.
We can face the storms of life by putting God first
What was gripping the disciples in the boat? Fear! They were deathly afraid of dying. When fear to saturates our thinking, overcomes our attitude and actions—it cripples us. We may miss what God has for us to learn through the storm we are in. We have to let our Faith in Christ be our first love. Faith needs to be in charge, not our fear. Jesus even said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” (v. 40) They were letting the situation get the best of them. The storm and their fear hindered their ability to allow Christ to work through them.
We can face the storms of life knowing that Jesus is ready to rescue us.
It is comforting to know, despite the disciples’ focus on their fear, that Jesus rescued them from the storm. He changed the howling wind and rain into calmness and quiet seas. Jesus does that for his children, because he loves them.
What storm (s) are you facing? Are you praying? Trusting? Putting God first? Let him meet you where you are today and you will see him work his glory through your situation.
When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, I had to come to grips with letting Christ be glorified in my health regardless of the outcome. I had to let go and let God work. I think one of the greatest fulfillments in life is when God works and shows His Glory in and through a persons storm. Jesus is worth praying to, worth trusting, worth being first and always faithful. My prayer is that you discover how deeply he loves you and is willing to see you through the storms of life.
Have you experienced God working a miracle, revealing His glory in and through you? I would love to hear about it. Please let me know by email or submitting a comment.
Growing together,
Teddy
2 Timothy 1:7