When You're in a Storm, Run Toward, Not Away From God
When you're in the middle of a storm, the one thing the enemy will try to do is to keep you from running to Jesus. Fear, panic, anxiety sets in. You have trouble keeping your mind from conjuring up the worst case scenario. Storms will pretty much do one of two things to you. They can drive you closer to the Lord or they can drive you away from the Lord. The choice is yours. Some people get angry and bitter, even at God because of the painful circumstances they find themselves in. When they don’t understand they pull away and shut Him out instead of reaching up through the turbulent waves for His hand. The enemy wants to keep you in fear or keep you distracted by your situation because drawing closer to the Lord in those times is where our ultimate comfort and strength comes from. For those who call out to Jesus, they let the turbulent waves push them closer to God. This often comes by having gone through multiple storms in life and experiencing God’s faithfulness time and again.
Sometimes our storms seem as though they’re too much for us to bear. But it is through the comfort and the calling of the Holy Spirit that God binds up the brokenhearted. Many people have been through significant storms in the past few years through the pandemic, myself included as I watched my beloved Marcus wither away. Some people have been negatively affected by the financial situation in our nation and still others are looking for a sense of normalcy as the culture continues down a steep and dark path. But from what I’ve seen in my own life, as long as you choose to cling to God, He will never leave you nor forsake you.
I’m just a down to earth southern girl with flaws and I’ve made my share of mistakes. Yet, one thing I have done consistently throughout the storms of my life is to talk to the Lord. I don’t always know what the Lord is doing or understand it when something hits me out of left field, but I’ve learned that I can trust him because of the many times He’s come through for me. It’s not a theoretical concept for me, it’s 100% real. God is so alive to me in my everyday life, which is why I talk to Him like I’m talking to my best friend. He is my best friend. Its living in an attitude of prayer; keeping an ongoing conversation with God that never stops. The bible says to pray continually, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God is not part of your life. He is your life. And he lets you ask Him anything. When I’m talking to Him, I say “Lord, here we are again. I need to hear from You. Where do we go from here?” I just have to know that wherever I go, He’s going with me and guiding me. Just like the cloud that the children of Israel followed in the dessert, I want him walking by my side every step. He’s leading me, not me leading Him. He knows where I’m going. I don’t know that; I just follow.
One of the evidences that you’re walking with God is His supernatural peace–a peace that passes all understanding. And that means it’s a peace that doesn’t make sense at times. Peace isn’t the absence of difficulty or pain. It’s the presence of God amidst those difficulties. Peace is a Person in the storm with us, holding us, carrying us, calming the turbulence within us. “For He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:24). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea” (Ps. 46:1–2). Jesus IS God. He is our Peace. Run to Him for refuge, strength, and peace. He's real, alive, and fully present even though our circumstances often scream the opposite.
Peace is the one thing that seems to be missing the most from our world today. Without sinking into the Lord’s presence even in the middle of the most difficult, and the most challenging situations, true peace cannot be experienced. No matter what you face, He can be trusted. I’ve trusted the Lord through every single one of my worst storms and God has been faithful to keep His promises to me every single time. Just talk to Him. Continue to talk to Him. That's what He asks. He sees and hears. He can handle our questions, our emotions. He created us to have a personal relationship with us. Just don't shut him out. Run to Him and talk to Him, especially in the storms. It’s having intimate fellowship with the Lord, that will empower you and guide you in the storm.
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