The third type of storms we shall look at are those storms that may not be directly or necessarily caused by God; however, God allows them and we cannot just pray them away. Rather, we have to learn to live victoriously and thrive in the midst of the storm lest we are pulled down and overran by it. These storms are also used by God to train us, develop our faith, and bring about His perfect will in our lives.
We can see an example of this storm in Matthew14:22-33. In that passage, Jesus made His disciples get into a boat to go ahead of Him to the other side. But a strong wind arose such that they were battered by the waves of the sea. On top of all that, they saw Jesus walking on the water to them in the fourth watch of the night (3am-6am) and supposing He was a ghost, they cried out in fear. “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped (Matthew 14:27-32). It is interesting to note that the presence of Jesus did not cause the storm to cease all at once. Also, after Peter had walked on the water he began to sink in the presence of Jesus when He saw the wind boisterous and became frightened. Additionally, after being saved from drowning, Peter had to walk in the midst of the storm and on the water back to the boat. These illustrate the truth that not every storm can be prayed away. There are those that require that we know how to hold on to our faith in the midst of the storm to experience breakthrough and great blessings. Otherwise, we would be overcome with fear and perish through what was meant for our good.
Another example of this type storm can be seen in the life of Joseph. We read concerning him that “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him” (Psalm 105:19). By this, we know that the difficult path Joseph took to the throne was allowed by God to bring about what God intended for Him. This included the temptation and subsequent lies of Potiphar’s wife, which landed Joseph in prison (Genesis 39). However, it was not God who tempted Joseph with Potiphar’s wife since God does not tempt anyone with evil (James 1:13). But what his brothers, Potiphar’s wife, and the devil meant for evil, God meant it for good (cf. Genesis 50:20). The prison became a place of training, where he got enrolled in a position of leadership with authority (Genesis 39:21-23). It was also a place where he got to demonstrate the gift of God in him to those who were linked to his destiny, and a place where met the one who had to connect him to the throne (Genesis 41:9-14). The very gift he exhibited in prison gave him audience before Pharaoh, where his authority over prisoners was broadened to include authority over one of the greatest nations in his day (Genesis 41). All this came about by going through and being faithful in the midst of extraordinary storms.
In 2 Timothy 3:1 we read that “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days” (NIV). We are also forewarned about wars and rumours of wars, famines, pestilences, increased lawlessness, betrayal, and tribulation (Matthew 24:4-12; Luke 21:11). These are not storms we can pray away. However, the one who endures and stand firm in their faith to the end will be saved (cf. Matthew 24:13).
Kwadwo Omari, PhD
March 16, 2022.
A Very Important Message
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to put your faith in Him. Pray the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus’ name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, believe and be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be discipled to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ.