Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. As Christians, we go through physical, financial, emotional and spiritual storms that can be of a short-term or long-term nature. We must possess a certain attitude in our storms, maintain our focus and continue on our Christian pathway.
Life can be challenging to the point that we as Christians sometimes feel like giving up on our faith in Jesus, giving up on what we truly believe in and just refusing to live.
As Christians we should not only live in the flesh but also in the spirit because if we live in the flesh, all we will do is try to fulfill our fleshly desires trying to do the things that we think are the right things to do.
We should also walk by faith and not by sight, not because we are not able to see a problem working out or an opportunity coming our way does not mean that God cannot make it work out.
We must also live a life that is righteous, holy and pleasing unto God. The Bible says we should walk in the light as He is in the light and also that we should let our light so shine before men that others may see our good works and may want to glorify our father which is in heaven. If persons see us hating on other persons, that's not a true reflection of God. If we steal and lie, that is not a true reflection of our God and so we have to walk in the light and do everything that is right so we can win souls for God's Kingdom.
If we stop to think about what the Bible character Job went through, we can learn so much from his story and from the experience that he went through. Job was a righteous man and his ways pleased God to the point that God was able to boast about him in the presence of the enemy. He said, look at my servant Job, there is none like him, he is a righteous man.
That is the type of life that we have to live as Christians. We have to live the life that Job lived so that God can look at the enemy and say, look at my servant, and can boast in the presence of the adversary. God knew the type of faith that Job possessed, so no matter what he allowed the devil to do to him, he was confident that Job would not give up his faith and stop living the righteous life that he ought to live.
It is interesting to note the devil's response to God. He said, it is because you have a hedge around him and you have given him everything, that is the reason why he is serving you. Some people serve God for the wrong reasons, such as the material possession so when God takes them away, they also stop living for the Lord. Job was tested so that God could get the glory out of his situation.
Reasons for the Storms
1. God wants to get the glory out of our lives - Romans 8:28 says, for we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. As we saw in the story of Job, God wants to prove to our enemies how great and mighty he is.
2. Storms are faced to build our strength in God and our resilience against the plans of the adversary - The storms that we face in this life are not meant to destroy us. They are not meant to allow our enemies to laugh after us but instead the storms that we go through as Christians, they are meant to make us stronger and bring us closer to God. They are meant to put us in a position where we are so vulnerable that all we can do is trust God. Just think about it, if you have never been hungry or sick or broke and God gave you restoration, how are you going to say to others that God can restore or heal or provide? The storms are needed as a means of justification and evidence of the marvelous works of God.
3. God wants us to walk in alignment with his plans - Jeremiah 29:11 says, for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future. God wants to fulfill his purpose in our lives. If we look back at what the Prophet Jeremiah went through, Jeremiah was called from such a tender age and he started his ministry very early. As a messenger of God, he went through a lot of storms to the point where at one point in his life when the people were mocking him because his prophetic judgements were taking longer than expected, he became skeptical. In Jeremiah 20, he said God, you have deceived me and I was deceived. When God called him, he didn't tell him that he was going to go through all of these sufferings and that people were going to mock and ridicule him. He thought that when God called him and reassured him that he knew him before his birth, everything was going to be well. But God had a plan for him, though it was not what he expected or wanted for himself.
4. God wants to build our faith and trust in him - The children of Israel faced many storms because of their lack of recognition of God's love and favour upon them. God wanted them to have a closer walk with him. God wants us to trust him in every situation because he is Sovereign over our lives.
It is important to know what that when we are going through our storms, we have to maintain an attitude of praise, worship and a sound mind. When we are going through the storm, sometimes we really don't think, all we do is focus on the problem and we turn our attention from God. We even try to go through the storm on our own without even remembering that God is in control. So it is important that when we are going through struggles in life that we remember our creator, our father who is watching over us and is in complete control over our lives.
We also need to pray, fast and read our bibles during our storms. This helps to build up a wall of defense against the devil who attacks when we are vulnerable.
God is not a man that he should lie. Whatever he promises will come to pass. Joseph had a dream that he was going to be in a leadership position and that his family would bow to him. However, he had to go through some storms to prepare his heart for the task. It did not happen shortly after the dream but instead took years before the dream was fulfilled. Whatever your dreams are, they too will come to pass.
No storm is meant to last. Instead the storm is meant to make us stronger, bolder and build our faith in Jesus.
We ought to remember that God's timing is perfect. When he is ready, he's going to just flip the switch and just turn the page. David did not have an easy start as well. When God anointed him to be King, Saul was trying to kill his purpose. But David did not give up on God, he held his peace until God was ready for him to take his rightful place to rule over his people.
The storm is meant to make us better, not bitter. Embrace your storms, they too shall pass.
Check out these resources:
Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges
Peace in the Storms of Life: Devotional Encouragement for Women
Mercy through the Storm: A Christian Romance Story Kindle Edition
Together Through the Storms: Biblical Encouragements for Your Marriage When Life Hurts
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