The Storm is Over

"He calmed the storm to a whisper, and stilled the waves." (Psalm 107:29)

 

There will be times in your life when the storms will rage. Trouble will come seeking to destroy you. Sadness will be your constant companion and depression will always be lurking around the corner. You can literally live in a place where you feel constant pressure, disappointment, rejection and discouragement. Each time you try to lift yourself up out of the pit of despair, another situation comes and knocks you right back down.

 

Sometimes, these painful, exasperating situations that cause you to cry out to God, can last for years.

 

You can be in church, but in pain.

You can have a prayer life, but in pain.

You can sing in the choir, yet be in pain.

You can lift your hands in worship, yet feel a sense of desperation.

 

It is the statement of two realities: knowing God is sovereign and in control, yet not fully understanding why your life seems so perplexing, and why the struggle seems to have no end.

 

Oftentimes, you won't find the real meaning behind the "why" until you have come to the end of it. There's something wonderful about hindsight: it really is 20/20.

 

I have been there and what I have learned can be summed up in two words for every believer and follower of Jesus Christ: TRUST GOD.

 

Even if you cannot sense His presence: TRUST GOD

Even when you cry yourself to sleep at night: TRUST GOD

Even when you lack the strength to pray: TRUST GOD

Even when you get angry: TRUST GOD

Even when you loose hope: TRUST GOD

Even when your faith is tested: TRUST GOD
Even when you feel as if your prayers and your pain go unnoticed: TRUST GOD

Even when you cannot trust yourself: TRUST GOD

 

He ALWAYS has a plan. Even on your worst days, He has a plan. And it will be His plan (not your pain) that prevails. Even if it takes 10 years to come to pass, it will happen. Your storm has an expected end.

 

Know that God is in the storm with you and wants you to draw closer to Him throughout. Don't try to figure it out and give up trying to understand it. Just TRUST GOD.

 

In due season, the promise for every born again believer is that God will calm the storm to a whisper, and still the waves (Psalm 107:29).

 

Brokenness, heartache, sadness and despair often precede triumph, victory, and overwhelming spiritual prosperity. It's a part of His divinely orchestrated plan, but what we have to continue to do is TRUST GOD, and know that even when God seems silent, He is certainly not still. He is perfecting you even now and preparing you for your victory.

 

Hold on - due season is coming. And the storm that is raging right now, will one day be calmed to a whisper. The God you serve is in control and He wants you to know that He is the Master of every storm.

Are you in a storm? Has it been raging for awhile? Or are you starting to get a sense that it's calming down? Wherever you might find yourself, always know that you will be able to claim the victory of Psalm 107:29 when God brings your storm to a whisper and your waves to a still.

Be Blessed. Be Fruitful. Be Expectant.
The end of a thing is better than its beginning. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Forgetting the Former Things

This year, 2015, is a year to forget the former things. Forget what has happened in the past. Forget who did it. Forget how angry you were. Forget every heartbreak you experienced. Leave it all behind. I urge you once more, to leave it all behind. Your faith is counting on your ability to forget the former things. Your future is waiting for you to press forward. Don't be like Lot's wife and turn back. Remember the words spoken by God in the book of Isaiah:

"But forget all that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."

(Isaiah 43:18-19)

 

 

This is the Lord's promise to us of victory. God made a covenant with Israel and He has made a covenant with you, as heirs to Abraham. And just as he told Israel, He is also telling us this exact same message. The Lord, the Holy One, the Creator, the Sustainer, the King of Kings, will make a dry path for your through the sea; He will create a path through the wilderness.

 

Whatever you are going through, whatever has happened, is nothing compared to what God is going to do in your life. Even if you are in the midst of a dry place, even if you feel like you're in the wilderness, God said He will make a pathway for you and create rivers in your dry wasteland. Remember that nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37).

With God, failure is never an option. Believe God, take Him at His word, and expect that rivers will be created for you to refresh, renew and replenish you.

 

Allow the rivers to wash over the former things.

 

Allow the rivers to renew your mind.

 

Allow the rivers to heal your heart.

 

Allow the rivers to restore your soul.

 

Allow the rivers to equip you with strength.

 

Allow the rivers to put a new song in your spirit.

 

Allow the rivers to return what is missing.

 

God is a God of divine restoration and He specializes in mending broken pieces. He loves to heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3, Luke 4:18).

 

My prayer for you today and always, is that you would cast every care upon the Lord (Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7), knowing that He sees you, He cares for you, and He has a perfect plan for your life that is far greater than your biggest dreams.

God Bless You!