When the storms of life are raging....

When the Storms of Life are Raging….

Luke 8:22-25
Jesus Calms the Storm
22One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25"Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

5-Step strategy for responding when the storms of life are raging:

1. Approach life with certainty.
2. Deal with the facts as there are now…not what they could be or have been
3. Invite Divine Intervention.
4. Take action that supports your prayers.
5. Get the support of others.

1. Approach life with certainty

Research data suggests that when persons are in a state of uncertainty negative results seem to have greater impact. The blows seem to be amplified.

So from that it would appear that people who approach impending events with confidence and certainty fare better if things do not go as planned.

This is another great benefit of FAITH. Consider Shadrach….whatever the outcome, I am going into this event with confidence that being aligned with God is more important that what happens to me.

Daniel 3: 13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Stephen continued sharing the Gospel even when it was clear that he was about to be stoned to death.


Christians marvel at how non-believers are able to cope with the storms of life. Naysayers mock Christians by saying that they petition God for something, if they get it, they credit it to their prayers. If they do not get what they prayed for they say that God knows best. While that is meant to be a criticism it is in fact something worthy of praise.

In effect, the Christians know that the future is in God’s hands and that God has their best interest at heart. So when Christians pray they take the certainty of God’s providence into upcoming events. They are able to face situations with confidence no matter what the outcome. That confidence reduces the impact when the results appear to be negative on the surface.

Deal with the facts…the bare facts

All too often we place ourselves in the role of a storyteller. We face one set of facts and we rush off to create situations that may not even occur.

Luke 8:24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

This extension of the facts produces unnecessary tension and reduces our capacity to address the facts as they really are.

Watch how you add on to what is. We tend to add on negative thoughts, not positive ones. That runs counter to the results we really want to get. It also runs counter to our prayers.

3. Invite Divine Intervention

James 5: The Prayer of Faith
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.14Is 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. 15And 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. 16Therefore 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.
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Outside of invoking the power of God, prayer has the additional benefit of helping us to focus on the resolution of the issues at hand. We petition God about things that we figure will resolve the issue. It helps to direct us to the way forward.

Prayer also has the effect of calming our frazzled nerves. By appealing to a higher authority we grow in confidence and we feel better about the situation.

4. Take action that supports the prayers

When we pray we should act as is our prayers are being answered. We have to proceed with the assurance that God’s providence is going to be granted to us and all our actions should reflect that confidence.

It makes no sense to pray fervently for a particular outcome and then set about doing things that run counter to what we have prayed about. True faith requires us to act in accordance with our prayers.

Mark 11:20 - 25
The Withered Fig Tree
20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
22"Have[f] faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.


Get the support of others

When the storms of life are raging it makes good sense to seek to weather them with the support of others. Sometimes things are just a little too much for us to handle on our own. Even the strongest of us need support at times. We should be willing to seek assistance - even just moral support when we face difficult times. That is one of the reasons for the Christian fellowship. We are to be our brother’s keepers.

Gal 6: 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

1 Thes 4: 9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.