Daily devotion – Why am I in this storm?
Matthew 14:24
“But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.”
Why does God allow storms?
Storms arise in our weather system, and storms also arise in our lives. Some we can see coming, while others seem to appear from nowhere, without warning.
In Matthew 14, Jesus sent His disciples directly into a storm. That raises an important question: Why would He do that?
I believe God allows storms to sweep over our lives for two primary reasons.
Firstly, there are storms of correction.
The prophet Jonah knew this kind of storm well. As he fled from the will of God, the Lord used a violent storm to stop him and redirect his steps. There are times when we, like Jonah, wander out of God’s will, and the Lord lovingly uses a storm to bring us back to where we need to be.
These storms discipline us—not to destroy us, but to restore us.
Secondly, there are storms of perfection—storms that develop us.
Often, these storms mature us at a much faster rate than calm seas ever could.
In our text today, the disciples were obedient. They were doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do—crossing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. This was not a storm to correct them, but a storm to mature them.
It is as though Jesus was saying,
“I have taught you. I have walked with you. Now I want you to exercise your faith.”
Faith is not believing in spite of evidence.
Faith is obeying in spite of the consequences.
Our faith in God is developed through struggle. Faith says,
“I will do what the Lord has asked of me, even if a storm lies ahead. Even if there are difficulties, obstacles, and challenges. Even if it is hard. I will obey.”
While the disciples battled the storm, Jesus was watching them from the mountain—and He was praying for them (Matthew 14:23).
What a comfort this is for us.
As our Lord watches over us, remember that He is praying for you. And when the pressure becomes too great, He will come to you—just as He came to the disciples—walking on the water.
In the meantime, trust that every storm you are in is being used by God to accomplish His loving work in your life this week.