Navigating Life's Storms

Thank you for spending this week with me on A Miracle Every Day. We have been spending 24 hours with Jesus, and that particular day is about to draw to a close.

I’ve been thinking a lot about storms lately—not just the ones outside, but the ones within us. Growing up in Manitoba, I saw firsthand the destructive power of tornadoes. One summer, I volunteered for disaster cleanup and witnessed the incredible force of nature. Straw driven through timber, beams buried deep in the ground, and entire houses gone, except for a single wall with pictures still hanging. I will never forget those images that are cemented in my memory.

We're told that the safest place during a tornado is the bathtub. But I remember a story of a farmer who took this advice too literally. He’d removed his bathtub for renovations and, when a tornado hit, he hid in it in his front yard. The wind turned this bathtub into a hovercraft, sending him careening across a river and then up into the air! He ended up under an overpass, unconscious, alongside three dead fish, a crow, and a YIELD sign! What a ride! What a storm that must have been!

Storms are scary because they're unpredictable and uncontrollable. They seem to pick and choose who they affect. Many of you have seen the news lately, where after a storm hit, we see homes destroyed next to untouched ones. Storms are also inevitable. We all face them. Sometimes they destroy, sometimes they protect. I recall an email about soldiers in Baghdad, stopped by a sandstorm, then a downpour. It turned out the storm had exposed a minefield, saving their lives.

Personally, the past weeks have felt a bit stormy. I’ve found myself asking, “God, where are you in all this?” Perhaps you've felt similar storms: unemployment, illness, loss, change, confusion. Life-storms are inevitable and often misunderstood. Sometimes, we blame God for storms caused by our own actions.

In Matthew 14, Jesus has just fed the 5,000 and sends the disciples ahead in a boat. Verse 24 tells us, “the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” (Matthew 14:24 NIV) 

 Jesus knew this storm was coming. He sent them into it.   

Have you ever felt like God sent you into a storm? It’s easy to ask, “God, where are you? Why don’t you help me?” In the middle of those storms, it can feel like God is gone. But this story reminds us that God is always present, even when we can’t see Him, because who shows up in the middle of the storm, the God who pauses to pray, the God who meets needs even when the need is overwhelming, the God who multiplies miracles, the God who walks on water! Jesus shows up, calms the storm, and solidifies the fact that He is God through the storm (see Matthew 14:32).

My friend, that same God, is with you no matter what you are facing. Remember that, as we pray:

Lord, in the midst of the storms of life, help us to remember Your presence. When we feel lost and overwhelmed, remind us that You are always with us, walking on the water, reaching out to save us. Give us the courage to trust You, even when we can't see the path ahead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Never forget my friend,

You are a miracle!