In the middle of a Storm....

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.

 John 6:16-18

How many times didn't you find yourself in the middle of a storm, and you prayed and prayed but nothing changed? Well, I think we've all been there. You wake up one day and BAM! you're stuck in the middle of a storm, it can be a physical one, but most of the time these storms are in our minds. We struggle with our thoughts of not being enough, not being able to please those around us. Or we also feel like we aren't doing enough in the Kingdom of the Lord. We feel sad or empty, and we start thinking about all that we lack. Yeah, we've all been there.

The disciples were caught in the middle of a storm, a physical one, and Jesus was not there. They were afraid  they thought they were going to die, and Jesus was not there. They prayed and cried out His name, but he was not there, YET! You see, God is always there for us, we just can't see him, because we ignore his presence, it's like our spiritual eyes, are so focused on what we can see with our natural eyes, that we can't see God's work in our lives. Our focus is wrong. We torment ourselves because of what we feel, and see but we don't ask the Lord to show us how to see with His eyes, feel like He feels. We want Him to fix things, calm the storm so we can carry on, but we never stop to think, that maybe this storm is there to teach us something. Teach us to Trust in Him...

My mother always says, when a friend tells you your doing something wrong, listen. When the enemy is attacking you, analyse yourself, look for that open door or window that allows the enemy to enter and attack you. My mother is wiser than she thinks. Most of the time these windows or doors are in our minds. Our minds control everything. Our every movement is controlled by the way we think. We have to allow God to control our minds, not the enemy. The way we can overcome our storms, is by trusting God to let us see what he sees. Where we see an obstacle, He sees an opportunity to teach us something that He has always known, but we have to yet discover, sometimes about ourselves.

¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles,^[b]they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.

Jesus finally came to them in a very unique way, He walked on water. They thought he was a ghost, and they were afraid. When we are in a  storm,  and pray with no answer. When we finally get the answer, we don't want to believe it and start doubting, but then Jesus tells us, "It is I, don't be afraid".
We shouldn't be afraid, we should trust that with Him in our boat, with storm or no storm, we will always get safe to shore.

My friends, my encouragement today is a bit obvious. If you are right now in the middle of a storm, don't just ask God to calm your storm, ask him to come into your boat with you. And trust Him, to let you see with His eyes, the opportunity to learn and grow that He is giving you. Just like in the desert, we have to learn to trust Him, and be positive because He has a Perfect Plan.

Be strong, and God Bless you!