TILL THE STORM PASSES BY

"Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.  After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.  And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.  When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, 'It is a ghost!' And 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 14:22-33

We are under siege, walled in by the need to reduce the virulent spread of a pandemic. It is hard to watch and wait, hanging on every bit of news that our leaders present in their press conferences. These are times that we take refuge in our Lord until the storm passes by. Which brings me to one of my favorite hymns.

Till The Storm Passes By

In the dark of the midnight,

Have I oft hid my face;

While the storm howls above me,

And there's no hiding place;

'Mid the crash of the thunder,

Precious Lord, hear my cry;

"Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by."

I love this song!  It really hits home, for there appears to be a storm passing by.  Don't we, at times, feel like screaming into the howling winds?  What do you do when the storms are raging furiously all around you? There is ONLY ONE way out, and that is to trust in God. It is the best and only wise thing to do because when we trust the Lord, we will never be unprotected. He is the Rock of our refuge. God is faithful!  He will never go against His promises.  It is not in His nature to do so. God can't lie!  So we must remind ourselves when we find ourselves amid pain, doubt, helplessness, and hopelessness that things will get better. We must trust Him, for He is faithful!

'Til the storm passes over,

'Til the thunder sounds no more;

'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,

Hold me fast, let me stand,

In the hollow of Thy hand;

Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispers,

"There is no need to try;

For there's no end of sorrow,

There's no hope by and by";

But I know Thou art with me,

And tomorrow I'll rise;

Where the storms never darken the skies.

During stormy times, Satan loves to watch us suffer. He lies to us and makes us doubt God's great faithfulness toward His children. Satan tells us there is no hope in waiting for God because, in some way, He is causing our injury, pain, and trouble. Thus we lose sight of the blessings of God and the victory that He makes possible. This reminds me of what Joseph told his brothers.

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). 

We become impatient! We are overwhelmed! We start wondering why God is not answering our prayers immediately. We don't have to understand or analyze all the potential benefits. It is enough to know that God is teaching us patience, perfecting our faith, working in our hearts, and teaching us to trust Him more and more. He is working for our good, even when we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

When the long night has ended,

And the storms come no more,

Let me stand in Thy presence.

On that bright, peaceful shore.

In that land where the tempest

Never comes, Lord may I

Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

So during our fiercest storms, let us trust Him. Let us trust Him when the dark days assail us. Let us trust Him when our faith seems to be small. Let us trust Him when the best and simplest thing to do is to trust Him. It is hard for us to do, but we must acknowledge that we are His children and He is our Father and that He has promised to take care of us.  Thus we must trust in His steadfast and faithful love for us.

May our Lord help us to always trust Him even when the dark days assail us. May we find strength in Him, the Rock, on whom we place all of our heavy burdens (Matthew 11:29-30).

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!"  (Psalm 31:24)

"In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help.  From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears" (Psalm 18:6).

"Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee:  He will never suffer the righteous to be moved"  (Psalm 55:22).

"Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Luci