PASTOR’S PEN, APRIL

TWO LESSONS YOU LEARN ONLY IN LIFE’S STORMS

Mark 4:40

In the Gospel of Mark, we read: He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” And a great windstorm arose and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they woke Him and said to him, “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they said to one another, “who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Here are two lessons you can learn only in life’s storms

1. You must trust what God has told you. When Jesus said “Let us cross over to the other side,” there wasn’t a big enough wave to take them under, no matter how threatening. What has God promised you? Standing on that won’t keep you from getting scared or soaked; but it will keep you from sinking.

1. You must remind yourself of who’s in the boat with you. If the Lord can calm a storm, He can prevent one. So when He permits you to go through storms it’s to show you that you don’t have a problem He can’t solve; that you may be powerless in the situation, but He’s not, and that through this experience you’ll come to know Him in a way you have never known Him before. So learn these lessons well and come out stronger on the other side.