How to Stand Strong in the Storms of Life

My husband and I love kids! We look forward to starting a family of our own. Imagine our excitement when the pregnancy test showed positive. We announced the exciting news to our family and friends, started planning, and dreamed of what the future would be like with this new little one. We longed for the day we would meet our baby. Everything was sunny and sailing along smoothly in our home. Little did we know the sunshine would not last. We were about to head into one of the hardest storms we have had to face. On a Friday afternoon, I got the dreaded call from the doctor’s office. My pregnancy levels were going down. I was going to lose my baby. 

Storms, we all face them. I once heard someone say that either you are in a storm, coming out of one, or going into one. So the question arises, how do we get through them? To answer this question, we are going to look at three different storms in the Bible and see what kind of lesson we can learn from them. 

Build your house on the rock

The first storm is in Matthew chapter 7.  Jesus tells a parable about a wise builder and a foolish builder. You know, the one we sang about in Sunday school, the wise man built on the rock but the foolish man built his house on the sand…. I think sometimes we overlook how the wise man built his house. In Mathew 7:24 it tells us, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” 

We have to hear the word of God and do what it says. Then when the storms come, we will stand strong. Look at Matthew 7:25, “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

One thing I love about my husband is his strong faith in God’s word. I know whatever we face, we will be able to stand strong together because our house is built on the rock

Don’t build on sand

If we just hear the word of God but don’t do anything about it, what good does it do us? In Matthew 7:26-27 it says, “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The rain came on both houses, but because the foolish builder did nothing, his house fell. We need to build our house on the word of God. 

Keep your eyes on Christ

The second storm is Jesus walking on the water. If you do not know the story in Matthew 14:22-23, I hope you will take the time to read it. The disciples were in a boat out at sea with the wind and waves crashing against the boat. When Jesus came to them walking on the water, they were afraid. Jesus told them not fear; it was Him. Then Peter asked to come out to Jesus. Jesus told him to come. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water, but when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at everything going on around him, he started to sink.

If we only focus on the pain and bad circumstances around us, we will sink. If we focus on Christ, we can get through. There are days when the pain of mine and my husband’s loss can get me down and I feel like I’m sinking.

Keep moving

When I focus my mind on Jesus and the comfort I find in His word, it gives me the strength to keep moving. (click to tweet)

The Psalms are a good place to start. Also 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us, 

“Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” 

One verse that has really stood out to me is Philippians 4:6-7, 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

If anyone knows about pain and storms, it was Paul.  In 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, you can read about some of the things that he went through. Also in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, we read of a thorn in the flesh that Paul asked God to take away. Instead of taking it away, God gave him this answer in the first part of  verse 9: 

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

In our weakest moments of struggle, God gives us His strength to get us through if we only ask and keep our focus on Him.  

Hope and do not despair

With Paul in mind, let’s look at the last storm. The last storm is in Acts 27. Again, if you do not know the story, I encourage you to get your Bible and read it. Paul was a prisoner on his way to Rome when he was caught in a storm. He did not have food for a long time and was about to be shipwrecked. The people with Paul were about to give up all hope. Paul tells them not to lose hope but to trust in God. An angel had told Paul that God still had a plan for Paul. 

There are two things I want to point out from this storm.

God has a plan for us

Before I go too far, I do have to point out one thing. It was not God’s plan for us to lose our baby. James 1:13 tells us that nothing evil comes from God. 

God can take the bad things that happen and make something good come from it. Romans 8:28 tells us,

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” 

Also in Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

I know that even in the midst of my hardest storms, God is working.

Ultimate hope 

The second thing I want us to see is that as a Christian we have a hope to look forward to – Heaven. In the midst of my storm, I have hope because I know that this life of pain and sorrow is not it. God has something better planned for those who build their house on His word, keep their eyes on Jesus, and don’t lose hope. Heaven, is that something better where there is no more pain or sorrow and where I will get to meet the child I lost.

 

Comment below, How do you get through your storms? We would love to hear from you. 🙂