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Confidence during Storms
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.”
Luke 8:22–24
The story is told that as the evangelist D. L. Moody was crossing Lake Michigan to return home after a preaching trip, a great storm came up. The winds and waves were so strong that the passengers began fearing for their lives. While some gathered in an urgent prayer meeting, Moody remained sitting calmly. When someone asked him why he wasn’t joining in their prayers, Moody replied, “I have one sister in Chicago and one in Heaven and I don’t care which I see tonight.”
Christians are not promised a life without troubles or hardships. We are going to face storms as we journey through life. Companies go under, jobs vanish, children get sick, friends betray us. All of these things are part of living in a fallen world, and Christians are not exempt from these trials. The difference is that we have a resource. We have a loving Saviour to whom we can turn for help when we are in distress just as the disciples did when they feared their boat would sink. We have been given that right as part of our standing as children of God. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Luke 8:22–24
The story is told that as the evangelist D. L. Moody was crossing Lake Michigan to return home after a preaching trip, a great storm came up. The winds and waves were so strong that the passengers began fearing for their lives. While some gathered in an urgent prayer meeting, Moody remained sitting calmly. When someone asked him why he wasn’t joining in their prayers, Moody replied, “I have one sister in Chicago and one in Heaven and I don’t care which I see tonight.”
Christians are not promised a life without troubles or hardships. We are going to face storms as we journey through life. Companies go under, jobs vanish, children get sick, friends betray us. All of these things are part of living in a fallen world, and Christians are not exempt from these trials. The difference is that we have a resource. We have a loving Saviour to whom we can turn for help when we are in distress just as the disciples did when they feared their boat would sink. We have been given that right as part of our standing as children of God. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Today’s Growth Principle:
When God allows us to experience the storms of life, He never abandons or forsakes us.
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