We all have to endure them. How many of us are facing a storm? How many of us have that empty, sinking feeling of fear in the pit of our stomach? Are you anxious about your health, about some sin in your life? Are you unsure of your relationship with God, about what’s going to happen to your children or grandchildren, about the direction of our country, Health problems?
Now, we must know that some storms can be calmed by certain actions from ourselves, but there are some storms over which we have no control. There are storms that man can’t do anything with, but Jesus can!
1) Sometimes God chooses to heal in seemingly miraculous, unexplained ways, and brings us through the stormy trials in ways unknown to us.
2) Sometimes God does not remove the storm, but strengthens the believer so that we can endure the trial. Two examples of this: Jesus in the Garden prayed that God would remove His cup of suffering. God didn’t remove it, but strengthened Him to endure the storm by sending an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22.43). Paul prayed that his “thorn in the flesh” be removed. God did not remove it, but said: “My grace is sufficient.” Later Paul writes: If this is the strength I’m going to get, if this is God’s grace at work, give me more thorns. I delight in weakness, I delight in insults, I delight in hardship, in persecutions, in difficulties; for when I am weak, He makes me strong (Paraphrased).
The bottom line here is this: Let God be God! Give room for His sovereign nature. Allow Him to choose how to: Heal our diseases, forgive our sins, lift our burdens, comfort our hearts, renew our spirits. We must allow God to do the work He promises us He will do.
What is our part in this? We must bring our storms to Jesus. “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5.13-16). Let’s stop trying to explain what these verses are saying and just believe them. They tell us to bring our troubles to God, that he hears our prayers, and that the prayers of the righteous are both powerful and effective. We must return to a belief in the power of God through prayer.
We must bring our storms to Jesus in prayer; have a desperate faith, faith enough to do what Jesus asks. Are we willing?