INMERSO

Crossing Life Storms

Life metaphorically speaking is made up of valleys and mountains, when we are in the serene valley everything goes as we want and we live comfortably. But, however, when we have to climb mountains or cross seas, everything changes and becomes dark and often times difficult to decipher in which direction we should go. We know that for every Christian eager to do the will of God those stormy times tend to confuse us and often times stop us. There are two ways we can react to them; we give up and fail or we get stronger and continue our spiritual development.

The disciples experienced many moments of victories in the time they shared with Jesus. But when the storm rose while they were in the Sea of Galilee, fear invaded them. In the midst of the powerful waves and with his boat sinking, Jesus' chosen ones failed to remember the lessons they had learned about the power and purpose of their leader. Not even the appearance of Christ walking on the waters seemed to bring relief.

The disciples, seeing him walking on the sea, were troubled, saying: - A ghost!

Matthew 14:26.

When problems hit us, we forget what we know about God too. We have trouble remembering past experiences and answered prayers, the direction that God provided through his Holy Spirit and the lessons learned in past crises. Only the present seems real. Our minds only think about future implications and our bleated emotions make clear thinking impossible.

With our own strength, we do not have enough resources or skills to face the challenges of life. We were not created to be self-sufficient. We were not created to live isolated from the being who created us.

Our suffering is no surprise to God. He knows everything we're going through. More than that, He is the one who is orchestrating our circumstances for his glory and our benefit, according to his purpose and will. Everything that comes into our lives, whether planned by God or by our mistakes, will be used to make us grow spiritually. So God provides what we need for those moments when we think we can't survive.

Reflecting on the divine purpose of trials we can respond to them in a way that honors God. Let's take some time to fix our attention on God and seek to understand four lessons that He wants us to learn through the dark moments of life:

1. One purpose of the tests is to clean ourselves. Because of our human nature and the selfish world in which we live, it is very easy to develop selfish attitudes, mixed priorities and impious habits. The pressure that the tests put on us have the purpose of bringing those impurities to the surface to our attention and directing us to repentance. Our tests are to purify us and guide us to holiness, not to destroy us or ruin our lives.

2. The second reason why we face tests is so that we develop compassion and bring relief to others. The work that God does in our lives is not aimed only at us. It is designed to reach the world that does not recognize or admit God. God uses our challenges to equip ourselves to serve others. As we experience suffering, we will learn God's sufficiency, his comforting presence and his strength to endure. Our testimony during hard times will be authentic. Those to whom we ministers will recognize that we understand their pain. What credibility would we have if we never would have experienced a great need?

3. Third, God promised us that He would provide a path through the trials we face. The disciples probably thought how long the storm would be and if they could get safely to the port. They probably wished it had never happened. But if they had somehow avoided the storm, they would have missed the demonstration of Jesus' power over the sea and the wind. The chilling situation was transformed into a revelation of the divine nature of the Savior. God wants us to know His power through our trials as well.

4. The most important thing He gives us is the certainty of His presence. At first the disciples thought they were alone in the middle of the storm. When they initially saw Christ, their fear increased. They thought they were seeing a ghost. But when they recognized him, their fear changed to hope and relief. Similarly, many times we do not feel the presence of God in our crises. But He is always with us.

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV

The certainty that God will never leave us brings immediate relief, an infusion of courage and a sense of confidence to endure.

Nobody likes suffering. But in the hands of the Almighty God, trials become tools. He uses the difficult moments to shape us the way He wants us to be. Jesus allowed his disciples to experience the fear and anxiety of being alone in a boat in the middle of the storm. He allowed them to suffer because he had something much more important to teach them. He wanted them to learn that they couldn't do it on their own and learn to depend on Him.

Ask God to reveal his presence in the midst of your crises. And remember, He always provides for our spiritual needs to support and make us grow in our Christian faith. We are not alone, although sometimes it feels that way, He is by our side taking us by the hand until we cross to the safe place.