Stormy Seas

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
(Mark 4:39 NKJV)

I have been through times where I have felt like I have been washed overboard in a shipwreck during a raging storm, clinging desperately to a piece of flotsam, waves washing over my head, choking and spluttering, saltwater burning my nose, just trying to hang on and wondering how long I can hold out.

Then a pair of nail-pierced Hands reach out through the spray to grab mine. I know I am now safe, and all is well. Those hands are never going to let me go, though the storm may continue to rage around me. I am anchored, and He will hold me until the chaos subsides and the sun breaks through. Then He will pull me safely to shore and prepare breakfast. It’s time to rest.

Storms never bother Him. In the Bible, whenever one blew up, He simply instructed it to stop. He is in charge. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The elements have to obey Him because they are part of His creation. He has dominion over all things.

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV).

God never lets any experience in our lives go to waste. While He is guiding you through the storm, He will be teaching and training you to build up your spiritual muscles. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

It’s His job to calm the storm; it’s your job to hold on.