What If the Storm Is Part of the Process?

Last week was a WEEK! We were facing yet another difficult situation and I asked God, “How are we going to manage this one?”

I'm sure you've been there.

You're trying to get ahead. You're trying to do the right things. You're trying to move forward, and yet somehow things just keep knocking you back down.

It's frustrating.

It's infuriating.

I was playing situation after situation over and over in my head when an image came to mind.

Sometimes that's how God talks to me, through images.

I saw Peter stepping out of the boat to walk out on the water toward Jesus.

But the perspective was different. I was down at the waterline, looking up. Peter's foot was just about to touch the water, and behind him were dark, stormy clouds filling the sky.

And I thought about how rarely God asks us to take a step of faith when everything is calm.

Usually, it's during a storm.

Why is that?

Because if the water were calm, we wouldn't need to step out.

We wouldn't be afraid.

We wouldn't have to trust Him.

The storm can be the very thing that wakes us up. The very thing that makes us uncomfortable enough to take that step of faith.

And that's the part we don't like, isn't it?

The discomfort. But that is what challenges us.

It's the very thing we're often fighting against, and yet it is usually the very thing God is using to guide and direct us.

The storm is a tool.

It gets us to ask questions.

It gets us to look around.

It gets us to stop trying to figure everything out on our own and start seeking God with all of our hearts because the storms can be so overwhelming. They are literally out of our control. 

I was reminded not to be afraid of the storm because God is the One who controls the wind and the waves.

Psalm 107:29 says, “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.”

We see Him demonstrate this with the disciples when He stood in the boat and said, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind and waves stopped. (Mark 4:39)

Then we see Peter step out onto the water.

For a moment, he did the impossible.

He walked on water toward Jesus.

But when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storm around him, he began to sink.

Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!”

And Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him. (Matthew 14:30–31)

And He will do the same for you and me.

So, what storm is raging in your life right now, friend?

What if instead of only asking, “How do I get out of this?” we started asking, “God, what are You doing in me through this?”

How might He be using this storm to get your attention?

What is He asking you to surrender?

Where is He asking you to trust Him?

I've been asking these very questions.

And even though the answers haven't come yet, I know they will if I continue to seek His face.

I've also been praying for two things:

Courage to take the step.

And peace in a trying season.

Because promises and guarantees aren't part of this process.

Faith is.

Sometimes faith looks like taking the next step when you can't see where the path is going.

Sometimes it simply looks like keeping your eyes on Jesus while everything around you feels uncertain.

I don't know what your storm will look like.

I don't know how long it will last.

And I don't know what God is going to do with mine either.

But I am reminding myself of this today:

I don't have to control the storm. I just have to keep my eyes on Jesus.

I have to be willing to take the step He puts in front of me.

I have to obey, even when I'm uncomfortable.

And I have to trust that when I start to sink, He will reach down and catch me.

So I'll say it again, for you and for me:

Everything is going to be okay.

We really have nothing to fear.

The discomfort is part of the process.

Maybe the storm isn't here to destroy you.

Maybe it's here to move you into something much better for you.