"Instead of worrying about your problems—worship, sing, praise and give thanks to God. Then watch and see what happens in your life."
Joyce Meyer (via mitziehph)
It has honestly been a rough few weeks. When one has lost so much and cannot see ahead to what’s in store it is like being caught off guard by a raging storm and trusting that you will somehow make it to the other side to shore. I have lost the one I loved, i have lost a family member due to sickness that lead to death, I have no job and I have been disappointed by those close to me. The one thing I can say for certainty is that I am in the midst of a storm, I cannot see what’s ahead and that frightens me. Faith is not seeing but believing. I am sure many of you reading this can agree with that. So when you must believe that there is light in the midst of darkness and that God has a plan it can often be accompanied by fear. Look at the disciples and Jesus when they were in the midst of a raging storm. The disciples wanted to retreat back to shore. They wanted to go back to what was comfortable instead of trusting that they would reach the shore. Read Mark 4:35-41
See for us we always seem to want to look back and retreat due to the fear of what’s ahead. Jesus I am sure was irritated with the disciples at their lack of faith but when Jesus says we must go to the other side or in other words when we must move forward and leave the past behind us, it is because He genuinely is removing what was and we are heading into a storm leaving us to fully trust in Him and trust that we will make it to the next place we must be in order to grow and be strengthened. Like the disciples, I too was afraid of all the change and uncertainty that surrounded me, the worst part was I have nothing of this world to cling to. I was out in the middle of the storm for a reason and today all morning I have been worshipping and praising God in the midst of this storm. Why you ask? Simply because He is with me wherever I go and praising through a storm allows me to turn my eyes onto Jesus and His goodness and I can cling onto that when I am being tossed and turned in the raging sea. A raging sea can be a loss of a relationship and the pain that it brings. It can be being in the midst of an overwhelming situation not knowing how it will turn out. A raging storm is a metaphor for pain, fear, and uncertainty that life brings. Sometimes all we can do is praise God and turn our eyes to Jesus and what he has done and live our daily life holding onto His truth. The storm doesn’t stop and you might still have to bear the pain but know He will carry you through and you will come stronger when you reach the shore. His love never fails no matter if we are in the calm or if we are in the storm his love reaches us where we are at the present moment.
So if you want truth to hold onto hold onto this: His love never fails no matter where you are at the present time and no matter what you do. He will carry you and transform you into the person He wills for you to be. Sometimes that means he must put you in the center of a storm. But praise Him for the storms in your life because this means you are dependent on Him and he has an amazing destiny for you.
Here is what I have been keeping in my heart: Casting Crowns Praise you through the Storm
