A few years ago, I was deer hunting with my husband. We went out to sit in a ground blind together as it began to rain. As we sat there, I thought, “Man this stinks! How are we going to see any deer?” However, I noticed that while it was raining there were no sounds from the animals. No sounds of squirrels running through the leaves or birds chirping. Just the sound of rain hitting the roof of the tent, and then a couple hours later it all stopped. The rain stopped and a bird began singing – just noisy as it can be. I looked at my husband and I whispered, “What is that?” And he says, “Bird. Rain is coming to an end.” I sat there reflecting on his words and I thought, isn’t that how it is in life? When the storm in our life is coming to an end, we rejoice, we praise, our joy returns. We sing a new song because the rain is passing, and the storm in our life is coming to an end.

Sometimes the rain in our life isn’t always falling softly, and we begin to fear the storm. What is the rain? What is the storm in your life? Is it your marriage? Is it family relationships? Is it your health? Is it a job situation, or maybe a loss of a job or a change of job? And why do we hide? Why do we get quiet and quit singing and praising the Lord?

We get quiet with our praise, as we turn inside to panic. We wonder how long the storm will last. We wonder why it is storming on us. We wonder why we have to go through the storm.

And when the storm is upon us, we get caught up in the lightning and the thunder. The bad news, the consequences, and fear of the unknown begin to overtake us. The sound of our trial seems to drown out everything else in our life, and then all of a sudden, the rain stops, the lightning stops, the thunder stops, the clouds move off to the east – and if we’re quiet, we can hear the sweet sounds of the birds singing and it tells us it’s going to be okay. The sun will shine again.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

Our trials are temporary. They last only a season, though sometimes that season is longer than we’d like – and for some it’s affects are felt for a lifetime. But when the sun comes out – when the Son shines, we will rejoice, we will sing and give praise because He’s the One who carried us through. He’s the one who shielded us, protected us, and sat beside us through the rain. He may not stop the rain, but He sure does promise to sit with us through it.

The disciples knew this firsthand. Luke 8 records an account of the disciples going through a storm and Jesus is aboard. The storm causes the men to panic and fear for their lives. They forgot who was in the boat with them! Jesus asks the men in verse 25, “Where is your faith?” Did they not know Who was with them? Did they not know who He was? Perhaps we could ask ourselves the same. It’s important that we remember when we’re in the midst of those storms that God is with us. The Lord is by our side through every moment of our storm. When we forget Who is with us, we can become weak in our faith, and doubt and disbelief can begin to creep in.

Thank God for those He puts in our path to shine the sun on us. When we’re in the middle of a storm, the Lord brings certain people who are like the birds that sing after the rain has ended. They lift us up. They encourage us and shine the light of the Son in our lives. We need each other. Proverbs 17:17 says, “The friend loves at all times, but a brother is born for adversity.” Maybe it’s a divorce, maybe it’s infidelity, maybe it’s parenting and the process of raising up those little ones you are fostering or have adopted, maybe it’s wayward children of your own, perhaps it’s the death of a loved one, or a tragic accident that has happened in your family. When the storms of life are raging, all we can see is the rain. It feels really dark, and all we hear are the sounds of the storm, putting worry and doubt in our mind. If we’re not careful, it becomes a stronghold. Instead of believing and trusting that God can carry us safely through to the other side, we begin to panic and get angry with Him. We begin questioning God and wondering why He doesn’t intervene, why He allows the storm, why He doesn’t protect, as if somehow the storm has completely negated every attribute of God and results in His lack of love and care for us.

Proverbs 10:25, “When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more; but the righteous is established forever.”

The storm is going to make you stronger. There’s going to be fruit. There’s going to be a result of progress when the storm is over. And even though it’s really hard to see when you’re in the middle of it, it’s important to remind ourselves of these truths. We may hear those things and feel that it is unhelpful to hear, that it is patronizing and insensitive. However, when I look back over the storms of my life and I compare those times to where I am today, I know that because of those storms, I am changed. I am different. I handle things differently. I respond differently. I think differently about things because of the trials that I went through. The fruit that comes from the storms in our life may not happen overnight. Some storms are traumatizing and we still have fear to work through. Some storms are so severe, they leave us wondering if we are safe and secure in the arms of Jesus. We get scared and we wonder, “Is it safe? Is everything going to be okay? Is there another storm coming? Will there be a second wave?” We don’t know if we can let our guard down because we don’t know what the future holds.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, our faith is strengthened as we put it to action. We choose to trust and obey, even when we don’t know the outcome. We choose to believe, even when we can’t see how the story ends. The waves crash, the thunder is loud, the rain is hard, but the Son shines and we know that it doesn’t matter what the storm is doing because ultimately we know Who holds our life in His hands. This faith is not something we conjure up on our own. Faith is a gift from God. When you find yourself facing storm clouds, pray and ask the Lord to give you the faith to endure the storm.

Mark 9 shares the account of a man who was facing his own storm and the struggle he had with his faith. It begins in verse 14 where we read the disciples find themselves surrounded by a big crowd and the scribes are arguing. Jesus asks the men what they are arguing about and a man from the crowd explains. This man had brought his son to get help. The man’s son had a spirit which made him unable to speak. Whenever the evil spirit seized the son, it threw him down and caused the son to foam at the mouth, grind his teeth, and become rigid. The father of this boy asked the disciples to drive out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t. In desperation, the man brings his son to Jesus. Immediately the boy goes into convulsions and falls to the ground. We read in vv. 21-24, “Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Have you ever felt like the father of that boy? Does it seem sometimes that Jesus doesn’t do everything you want him to? When Jesus doesn’t intervene or help us in the way we think He ought to, it tempts us to not trust Him. Why the frustration on our part? Because we know He can – He can do anything He wants. He is able, but we don’t know if He will. We don’t know if He will choose to do what He is able to do. So it’s not really a questioning of God’s ability. It’s a questioning of God’s will. We know God can move mountains. We know He can part the sea. The question in our minds is: Will He do that in my life? We know He is able, but are we worthy to receive a miracle? Are we worthy to have the Lord intervene and act on our behalf and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves? When the Lord doesn’t move in our situation in the way we desire, we even begin to wonder if the reason is because we have done something wrong. We wonder if we have done something to make the Lord not like us or if He has become upset with us.  We don’t feel His favor in our lives, but rather assume He is disappointed because He’s not helping us in the way we think He should. We can’t fathom any other reason for Him withholding His hand of protection and provision, so we reduce the answer down to the fact that we must have done something wrong. It’s as if we can’t accept that God’s will could possibly be anything other than what we’re asking for.

We cry out to the Lord and beg Him to heal somebody, or deliver somebody from an affliction, and to help us.  We say please help them. We may even pray as the father in Mark 9, “If you can…” But we fail to consider: if He won’t, are you going to be okay? If God won’t do for you what you wish or want, will you still have peace? Will you still follow Him? Will you still obey Him? Will you still love Him and continue to abide in His Word and be His servant? Because no matter what God’s will is for your life or the situation you are in, He is always good, and He will always work for our good. The thing may not be good. Your affliction may not be good. It may not feel good, and so it may not feel like it could possibly be God’s will that this happens to you. But He’s going to use it for a greater purpose, if you will allow Him to.  Will you trust Him? Will you have faith?

We need to get honest with the Lord and pray as the man did in Mark 9, saying, “I believe. Help my unbelief.”  Pray and ask the Lord to help you with the doubts that you have in your mind. As you pour your heart out to the Lord and seek Him through His Word, that’s where you’ll find the peace and the faith to endure in the midst of your storm. That’s where you will find the contentment to rest in the Lord, even though your surroundings are hazardous or they feel tumultuous. Inside you will be immovable because you have a firm foundation on the Rock, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  God has not abandoned you. He is still with you. He sees everything you’re going through. He knows how you feel. No one else can say that. Nobody else can talk to you and say, “Oh, I understand.” They don’t understand. They’re not you. God is the only One who can look you straight in the eye and say, “I understand. I know exactly what you’re going through.” Why? Because He created you. He knows you inside and out. He knows why you’re feeling the way you are. He knows why you’re struggling the way you are. He knows how long this is going to last. So don’t be afraid. Don’t feel like you’re alone, because that’s exactly what the enemy wants you to believe. The enemy wants you to feel unloved. He wants you to feel forgotten. Do not believe the lies of the enemy.

Can we give you some encouragement when you are going through a trial?

1. Do not pull away from God; run to Him as fast as you can. Get in the Word and feed the Word to yourself. Do anything you can do remind yourself of God’s Word. Get God’s truth in front of you, and in your ears, read it, listen to it, and speak it. Remind yourself of His truth. Remind yourself of His attributes. Remember His promises. Remember His faithfulness throughout the generations. Combat the lies of the enemy with the truth of God’s Word. The enemy loves to kick us when we’re down. When we are going through a storm, it is a prime opportunity for the enemy to strike. The first place he strikes is for our mind. He wants to corrupt our thoughts and deceive us. He wants us to think God doesn’t care about us or that God doesn’t love us. Fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word.

• Praise the Lord. There are many songs on Christian radio that talk about praising the Lord in your storm. When you praise the Lord while you’re going through the storm, you are a mighty witness to others. You are showing others that even though you may struggle with understanding why you’re going through what you are, you have made the choice to worship God. As you continue to praise the Lord, even in bad times, you are constantly restating your faith. You’re constantly confirming that your trust is in God, “even if” and “no matter what.” Our act of praising and worshiping God in the middle of our storm is not dependent on how the story ends. It’s not dependent on what’s coming down the road. We choose to praise God because He is still good even when life is not. He is faithful, forever.

• Pray. Sometimes it’s really hard to pray when you’re going through a storm. The last thing you want to do is pray. You may not even know what to say. You may be panicking, desperate, frustrated, upset, and scared. It’s ok. Pray anyway. Pray and talk to the Lord and tell Him what you’re going through, tell Him how you feel, share your fears with Him, share your doubts with Him. Ask Him to help you. Ask Him to intervene. Sometimes our prayer is simply, “Help me, Jesus.” And by the way, that’s okay. That’s a prayer!  

Maybe you know someone going through a storm right now and you wonder what you can do for that person. Can we gently offer you some encouragement?

1. Feed them God’s Word. Sometimes the storms of life have a way of breaking us down, making us weary and weak. Sometimes it’s difficult to read and concentrate our minds on Scripture. Text God’s Word to that one who is suffering. Call them and read them God’s Word. Send them a card and write down encouragement found in God’s Word. Help those who are suffering to focus their hearts and minds on the truth of Scripture.
2. Pray for those who are suffering. Pray quietly on your own, but also involve them in your prayers. Call them and let them hear you praying for them. Go visit them, if they are able to receive visitors and place your hands on them as you pray for them and their family. If they cannot receive visitors, go stand outside their house and pray over them from a distance. It doesn’t matter if they’re in the hospital – pray from the parking lot. Don’t ever doubt the power of prayer.

Psalm 146:2 says, “I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” We need to sing praises to the Lord. We need to constantly remind ourselves who the Lord is and praise Him for it. No matter what season we’re in, whether it’s raining or whether the sun is shining. The reason we can sing praises is because of what Christ has done for us. If you have not accepted the gift of salvation, and you don’t personally know the Lord or have a relationship with Him, you may struggle the most to sing in the middle of your storm. You find that you cannot praise God because you don’t have the joy that salvation brings. If you’re in the middle of a storm right now, and it’s getting really hard for you and you don’t have the peace of the Lord in your life, you can make today the day that you accept His gift for you of salvation. Make today the day that you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and the bible says you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). That is the start of the joy in your life. That is the start of your forever eternity in heaven with the Lord.