What to Do When the Storms Come

As you very well know, we are now in the thick of hurricane season. Before one storm passes, we're already being told to brace ourselves for another! For the first time in our nation's history, the start of a major party's political convention was postponed because of a major storm.

Storms are inevitable both physically and spiritually. Man is “born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward.” Even the most godly are not immune from trouble – including major calamities. But special calamity does not necessarily implicate special sin (Lk. 13:1-5). Troubles are the common lot of all the sons of Adam.

Yes, the storms of life often come without warning and break over our head with merciless fury. Our primary concern should not be to avoid trouble, but to respond to it as God would have us to.

“Sweet are the uses of adversity.” God knows our nature better than we do ourselves. He knows what it takes to refine us, purify our faith, and wean us from sin. We can rest assured that He will never “suffer us to be tempted [tried] above that we are able” (1 Cor. 10:13). His hand is always on the thermostat, and His presence is always with us in the fiery furnace.

So, when the storms of life come, don't chafe, complain, feel sorry for yourself, try to drown your misery in sin and self-indulgence, or “escape” into a fantasy world. Look up to the God who “waits to be gracious unto you” (Isa. 30:18).