by Amanda Baker
How to Find the CALM in the Storm: Part Four
Since storms in life are something we must all face, finding the “CALM” in the midst of the storm is so vital. “CALM” in the storm can be found by calling on the Lord first, acknowledging that God allowed the storm for your good and for His glory, leaning on Him in the midst of the storm, and finally, minimizing the negatives of the storm and maximizing the lesson learned through the storm. There have been times in my life that I have faced the storm and have reacted in a very negative way. I spent my time asking why and being bitter that life is not fair. There is no “CALM” in a storm when we focus on the negatives and all that we don’t like about it. No one is volunteering to go through stormy times in life, but I believe that Bible clearly speaks of somuch good that is meant for us in the storm if we will only recognize that good and focus on it. When I was in college, my grandmother passed away. I was devastated. She was one of my favorite people in the whole world. At the time of her death, I had been reading and studying Psalm 119 in my personal devotions. It felt like the winds and waves on the sea of life had really kicked up, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to weather this storm. The Lord showed me a wonderful truth in Psalm 119:71 – “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” I remember lying in my bed in my dorm room crying and thinking, “How can this affliction be good for me?” It was in the days and weeks that followed that I began to see the Lord work in my heart and teach me in the midst of this storm. I still hurt at the loss of someone very dear to me, but the Lord began to teach me about His peace and about His all-sufficient grace in my life. He brought a storm to my life that forced me to look to Him. That is what the storms of life should do for us. They should direct us to the
loving, caring Heavenly Father who desires to teach us in the midst of these storms. Psalm 119:68 reminds us of His goodness in our lives – “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.” The storms of life as good for us, and He desires to teach us in the midst of those storms. If we miss the lesson He has for us in the storm, how can we do what He has called us to do effectively? Sometimes the storms accent our weakness so that He can manifest His strength in our lives. Paul put it this way in II Corinthians 12:9-10: “And he [Christ] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient for the storm. He never gives us more or less grace than we need for the storms of today. We don’t have to store up the grace for another day. He gives us exactly what we need for that day, and then He magnifies Himself in our weakness. Paul was able to say that he could glory in the storms of life because it pointed others to God’s grace and strength in those
storms. What is your focus in the storm? Is it the negatives of all that has happened to you?
Or have you seen the lessons that the Lord is trying to teach you in your weakness in the midst of the storm? It is a conscious choice to trust God and focus on that which He is trying to teach you. Psalm 118:24 illustrates this choice for us: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Will you rejoice in the storm by maximizing the lessons that the Lord wants to teach you today?
Finding “CALM” in the storm doesn’t mean that there will be a sudden end to the storm. It just means that you will be able to weather the storm with God’s grace and His strength. He will bring you through. He promises to never, ever leave us nor forsake us (Hebrew 13:5). Will you trust Him today and find “CALM” in the midst of your storm?