Surviving the Storms of Life

Don’t be alarmed when the trials of life crash around you. God is there to help!

By Darrel Lee

When the Columbus Day storm hit Oregon in 1962, I was in the third grade. School was in session when, suddenly, we heard the principal’s voice over the loudspeaker telling us that a storm was coming and we were going to go home early. Of course, we children thought that was great! You can imagine the buzz of activity. We were not too concerned about the storm but were excited that we got to leave school early.

As we boarded the buses, the wind had already started to blow in the city of Roseburg where I lived. I don’t remember much about the trip home other than the excitement I felt and the fact that the wind was blowing hard. In front of our house there were a great number of big oak trees. I recall seeing my mother run out from the house to meet us when we were getting off the bus. She was afraid that limbs from those old oak trees would fall or that the trees would come down, and that we might not be able to make it safely to the front door of our house.

Storms will come

That episode is not unlike the storms of life. They come to all, and when they hit, they are not fun.

In Acts 27, we read the account of when Paul was on a ship with 275 others in the middle of a violent storm. At one point Paul steps forward and tells them all to “be of good cheer.” As a new convert, it was my understanding that trials and tests were something you would look forward to and enjoy. It didn’t take me long to figure out that was not the way it was. I know the Gospel is “joy unspeakable and full of glory,” and I know that God gives the grace to enable one to rejoice in a storm. But you are not really rejoicing because of the storm; you are rejoicing only because you know that God, somehow, will see you through.

You should not be troubled when trials come and you find yourself tempted to be discouraged. That is the nature of life. In fact, if you are excited about the trial or storm you are in, it isn’t really a trial at all. The storms of life come when you are not looking, you don’t know how to deal with them, and you don’t know the way out.

Natural storms are, to some extent, unpredictable. As you read your morning newspaper or listen to forecasts on the radio, many times you find contradictions as different weathermen try to predict the weather patterns for the day. Even the radar they now use isn’t completely accurate.

Storms are temporary

One good thing about storms is that they are temporary. I used to live in Eureka, a coastal city in California, and we had storms there. The bedroom window where we slept had southwest exposure, and when a weather front came in and hit the town in the night, we knew there was a storm! The wind would beat against that window, but after a few hours, the storm was over.

I wrote this definition of a spiritual storm: “It is an unpredictable, temporary period of distress over which we have little, if any, control.” Paul referred to the storms in his life as “light afflictions,” which last “but for a moment.” Yet, if you read his biography, you find that he endured one storm after another. How could he call them light afflictions?

We control our reaction

Sometimes, when problems come into your life, you think, This can’t be; this isn’t right; I don’t like it! That is a storm. Nobody said we had to like storms, but though we can’t control them, we can control how we react during these times of distress. Sometimes we don’t do as badly in the storms as we might think. At other times we know we could have done better. Don’t worry; no matter what the storm is, if we look to God, He will sustain and help us.

As we look closer at the account of Paul in the ship out there on the stormy Mediterranean Sea, we find that he was a prisoner who was being sent to Italy to stand trial before Caesar. The ship had been caught in a tempestuous wind storm, and they could not steer or control it. They didn’t even know where they were heading. When the storm lessened a bit, they found themselves on a certain island called Clauda. There they took the opportunity to do some repairs. They used helps (chains or ropes) to undergird the ship, binding it together where it had been damaged by the storm.

A place of refuge

That reminds us of going to the House of the Lord. It is a place of refuge; a place of help; a place of prayer. When we find ourselves in one of the storms of life, we should take advantage of the opportunity to pray. When we are facing a storm, we need to pray that God will give us the grace to make it through. We need that binding together that comes only from God.

When they were able, the ship was again taken out to sea. However, before long, they were again being tossed exceedingly, to the point where they realized that they needed to lighten the ship. I suppose they looked around for things they considered non-essential and threw them overboard. We need to look into our lives and see what there is that the Lord would have us get rid of, then, by His help and grace, get rid of it.

After three days, their ship still tossed out of control. They looked around at what they had previously considered essential, and when they took into account that they might lose their lives, they threw the tackling overboard. We may need to take an even closer look at our lives and reevaluate what is important. Things we had considered to be essential and thought we needed in order to serve God may not be so important after all.

As they continued in the storm, it is recorded that “neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” It was pitch dark; the wind was blowing; the waves were raging. This had gone on for many days, to the point that they had lost all hope of being rescued.

Paul’s uplifting admonition

  When they gave up on their own abilities, on their own ways of trying to get through that storm, that is when Paul stepped forward and gave them this promise: “Sirs, . . . I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me” (Acts 27:21-25).

Can you imagine being on a boat, in the middle of a storm, with a bunch of rough old sailors, and hearing some preacher stand forth with a big smile and say, “Be of good cheer”? Under normal circumstances, some might have thought, Throw the guy overboard! Yet, God had brought them to a place where there was no resistance. They were willing to listen to one who was acquainted with the Master of the storm. Paul knew that God was going to see them through.

Faith operates beyond the realm of our humanity. It operates beyond what we can reason. Faith is relinquishing control of our lives to God.

In the middle of the storm, Paul gathered the men together, took bread, and in the presence of them all, he gave thanks to God and began to eat. The Bible says, “Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.” Good cheer always follows a thankful heart. That is what God has for your life in the middle of a storm.

As they headed the ship toward the shore of a certain island, the ship was broken into pieces. Some of the men swam to shore. Those who couldn’t swim grabbed hold of pieces of lumber that had broken from the ship. They used these to make their way onto that island, and every one of them was saved! God’s promise to Paul was proved true.

Meet the Lord of the storm

Have you met the Lord of the storm? Have you met the One who can see you through no matter what you face in life? Are you trying to find your own way, your own solutions? Or, are you willing to say, “Lord, I need Your help.” If you do, the Lord will undergird you. He will encourage you. He will help you weather the storm. He will give you victory. He will bring you good cheer.