Weathering Life’s Storms By Joel Berry and Al Grimaldi
Joel Berry Like a tornado dropping out of a thunderstorm along the Georgia-Alabama border, life’s storms can spring up out of nowhere. Life rolls along as you and your family prosper. You enjoy your job and have finally managed to put extra money into savings. You attend church faithfully and volunteer your time to serve. Your generosity demonstrates your trust in God with your finances. Then boom! The sky bursts open with peals of thunder and pouring rain, and the winds begin to howl. Your boss tells you she must eliminate your job due to budget cuts, or your COVID test comes back positive, forcing you to quarantine at home, unable to work. Perhaps, even worse, someone you love dies unexpectedly. Life turns in a moment from an easy ride to a white-knuckle trip as a crash dummy, and you have no idea how it will end. As a Christian, you know you should trust that God has you in His hand. Your friends tell you to just have faith and it will all work out. You feel guilty for worrying and you long for a robust faith. You ask your friends to pray, but you wonder if God hears them. Days turn into weeks, which turn into months, which may even add up to years enduring the tsunami of trouble that feels as if it will last forever.
If one of life’s hailstorms has not hit you, it has hit someone you know, and storms can shake even the most fortified faith. After a season, some people eventually walk away from God, angry and frustrated. But those who choose to move toward God can find refuge and strength. The apostle James exhorted believers to consider trials as opportunities for great joy because those who remain faithful to God will mature in faith (James 1:2–4). When you find yourself weathering a storm, take shelter in God, especially when spiritual fatigue sets in. As Al battled the lingering physical effects of COVID, and Joel once endured a four-year business drought, we each formed habits that sustained us as we drew near to God. Based upon our collective experiences, we offer the following suggestions to help you weather life’s storms. Pray for Others Have you grown weary of constant pleading for deliverance or restoration? Change the focus of your prayer. Pray for your family and friends, asking God’s blessing upon them. Lift up others who have asked for prayer. Pray for your church, and for missionaries you know. Ask God to embolden His people to spread the gospel throughout our nation and the world. Count Your Blessings Recall the ways you have experienced God’s faithfulness. Ask Him to remind you of those times He has worked in your life and the lives of others; then praise Him with a thankful heart. Meditate on the Psalms The Book of Psalms includes prayers of worship, lament, repentance, petition, and praise. As emotions grow raw and tension grows high, we need guidance from God’s word to eliminate fear and doubt. Meditation on His word affords assurance of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Devote time to read and reflect on the Psalms, and when you feel compelled, pray through a psalm to God.
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