It was a dark and stormy night...

I have one of those wooden decorative signs on the shelf in my home office—maybe you’ve seen it while on a Zoom call with me. The sign says, “Storms don’t last forever.” It can often feel like the storm lasts for eternity. There have been many storms in my life. Comparatively, storms last a fraction of the time we think they do. It can feel like storms last an eternity because we are doing so much to survive. Storms force us to focus on immediate needs or what is right in front of us in order to make it through the gale.

Storms are messy and can leave a path of destruction.

We can have plenty of warning. Your vehicle has made that funny noise for some time now. Your physician says, “You need to lose the weight and change your eating habits or you will be dealing with diabetes.” A teacher calls you to tell you that she believes your student has some issues and if you don’t do some correction now, you will have bigger problems later on.” Your spouse has been depressed for some time and started drinking—you haven’t told anyone because the drinking only happens after 8pm and they seem to be able to handle themselves. Financial challenges have been plaguing you and the credit card limit is sky high but you keep spending to ease the uneasiness you feel deep inside. Some storms can be predicted by the conditions that precede them.

Other storms happen without warning. COVID-19 raged across the world with devastating effects. Hurricanes will bounce along the East and Gulf coasts leaving property damage replacement costs in the trillions of dollars. Car accidents happen daily. Your daughter falls and breaks her arm during practice. You are attacked and abused. Work issues. Personnel issues. Relationship issues. Infertility. Sometimes storms are designed to wreak havoc in our lives and can devastate even the strongest faith in Christ! We might find ourselves believing Jesus doesn’t care about us, about our situation or about the unimaginable circumstances we are going through that we do not deserve. Other times, circumstances and situations arise within families—secrets get revealed--that challenge the very blood lines that brought you all together. Some storms cannot be predicted but there is something worse than the storm..it’s what comes afterwards.

Be careful not to create a second storm by the decisions you made during the first storm.

We cannot control a storm—whether anticipated or not. Storms turn us upside down and wrong-side up. But, we can certainly make things worse for ourselves or others by making poor decisions. Here’s what I want you to consider as we read from Mark 4:35-41.

1. Don’t lose your trust in God—we might believe Jesus is absent but he’s right there with you.

2. Ask what the Lord wants to show you—about yourself, about others or about him.

3. God honors humility—ask whether the storm was sent to break you—out of old habits, out of a bad relationship or open you to new possibilities.

4. Discern what voice you’re hearing—have you been asked to compromise your character or avoid the truth in some way?

5. Did you create the storm—own this and stop creating unnecessary drama.

6. Are you blaming others—own this too…stop blaming and start claiming the victory.

7. Accept God’s word for you—focus on God and not the storm/situation/circumstance. Which is greater God or the storm?

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)

Pastor Jen