Daily devotional – Saturday 20th March 2021
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary – Matthew 14:24
Why does God allow storms to sweep over our lives?
The Bible seems to tell us that there are two fundamental reasons such things happen in our lives.
First, there are storms of correction. God is allowing us to get back on track, drawing us back to depend on Him. To increase our knowledge of who He is.
It was such a storm that the prophet Jonah found himself facing. If we are out of God’s will, God will use these events to get us back from where we wandered off His path. These storms of correction discipline us.
Secondly, there are storms of perfection. These are storms that develop us, mature and help us to grow. Matthew tells us the disciples were obeying Jesus command to go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The storm they ran into was not a storm to correct them but instead to perfect them.
It was as if Jesus was telling them – “I want to test you now, for I have been teaching you for some time, and now I want you to learn to exercise your faith to go through this storm.”
Faith is obeying in spite of the consequence.
Our faith is developed through struggles and storms. Faith tells us, “I will do what God asks me to do even though it might mean sailing into a storm. There might be struggles, difficulties and obstacles, and it might be a difficult journey. I will obey.”
Whilst the disciples were in the midst of this storm, Jesus was on the mountain praying for them – Matthew 14:23.
He is praying for you today – when He sees the storm perhaps getting too great, Christ will come to you just as He did to the disciples in the middle of the Galilee.
Whatever storm you may be facing today, trust in the Lord, and allow the trial you face to accomplish God’s beautiful maturing work in your life because of it.