Strength In The Storm

By Brian Doerksen

When a storm hits – feeling strong is not usually our first emotion. Feeling small… feeling scared – that’s the response of most of us men and mortals.

Over the years, people have asked me how I stayed strong through the storms that have entered our life – storms like having handicapped children, or almost going bankrupt when a major creative ministry project collapsed and we ended up homeless with 5 young children.

The thing is – I’m not sure I have ever felt strong in the middle of a storm. I have felt small and afraid. But… I have also felt held by the strong arms of my Father. I’ve known peace. And along with many others, I have cried out to the Lord to be rescued in my troubles.

None of us would choose to go through a storm in advance. When my wife and I walked out the back of the church on our wedding day – we didn’t stop at a sign-up table; ‘PICK YOUR STORMS’.

“OK darling – how about we order one financial collapse and several chellenging children?” We don’t choose our storms –they just happen in our fallen world.

They are outside of our control… unless it’s the storm of our own moral failure! The only thing in our control is how we respond in them and what we learn about our foundations after the storm has cleared.

Psalm 107:28

Dig Deeper: Psalm 107:28-29, Isaiah 25:1-9, Mark 4:35-41

Application: Think back to your own storms, where did you see the hand of God move?