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PROGRAM D-7247
When life’s storms are raging around you, it’s a good time to learn a lot about yourself. Someone has said that when your cup spills over, it reveals what is really inside of you. The storms of life cause us to spill over. I have to tell you from my own life that I have not weathered every storm victoriously from day one.
Often my first reaction is to question and complain. I ask “Why?” “God, this isn’t fair!”
You know, God does not get upset with our “whys”. He understands them. In the midst of the storm, we can almost never understand why. And we beg God to give an account of his actions. We should not complain to other people, but God invites us to let him know exactly how we feel. He knows it anyway, so we might as well verbalize it to him.
A second typical reaction to storms in our lives is to ask God to stop, to find another way. Jesus did that three times in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39).
In the midst of the storm, it’s hard to believe that it can work out for our good. Romans 8:28 seems like a cliché and the last thing we want is for someone to quote: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. . .”
A third response to storms is the feeling that God has forsaken us. Job voiced those feelings, found in Job 23:1-9. “If only I knew where to find him,” Job said; “if only I could go to his dwelling.”
It is natural to think that God could not be in this storm, this awful thing. Like Job, we cry out: “God is not here. I cannot find God. I go where I used to go to find him—church, daily devotions, Bible studies—but I don’t get those good feelings anymore!” Job said if he could find God, “There an upright man could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever…” (Job 23:7).
In the midst of a storm, we often just cannot see or feel God. And it frightens us. Maybe you’re in that spot today. You’ll find encouragement in Job 23. I encourage you to read it today.
And ask God to make you faithful even in the midst of a storm that you cannot understand.