Storms are forceful and unpleasant interruptions to human routines. Storms are so natural that they have no regards for your circumstances, situations, or dreams. Storms don’t care about your status, class, titles, religion, or lack of religion.
Everybody will get into a storm at some point – rich or poor, old or young, male or female, pious or pagan. Storms don’t struggle to meet diversity quota – they are diverse by nature.
Storms happen when they want to happen whether you are ready for them or not.
They have no regards for pre-existing trials and crises. Otherwise, how can prisoners run into a violent storm on their way to a court appointment?
Redirected by a storm
Paul the Apostle was on his way to a court appointment with other prisoners on board a ship when a storm arose. According to the story in Acts Chapter 27, the ship was battered by storms for fourteen days. No one on board the ship had any appetite for food all that time. They lost hope.
Storms are brutal, they slow down progress, and cause losses. But there could be a purpose behind the storm.
In the end, the storm emptied Paul and everyone on board into an Island that was ripe for a divine visitation. The island of Malta experienced the power of God – thanks to the storm that flung Paul on to the Maltese coastline.
Your storm could be frustrating and scary. But if you stay afloat and keep rowing, you may end up fulfilling a great purpose you could not have imagined.
Pushed by storms
You may be on your way to something significant in your life and run into a storm. Do you stop or simply turn back?
When an eagle meets a storm, it rises to a higher altitude, beyond the rumbling of the storm below. The eagle does not hide or avoid storms. It anticipates storms so they can ride the wind to fly higher.
For the eagle, storms and the winds that come with them are enablers. Interestingly, when aided by storms, eagles don't merely fly, they soar.
Your storm may be a call for you to rise high or go higher. You may be flying too low. When you raise your game, you leave the storms behind.
After the storm
When storms past, they leave a mess behind. A massive clean-up will always follow a huge storm. But after the clean-up, new things begin to emerge. Recovery, restoration, and remodelling will follow a destructive storm. The storm was not meant to happen, but it happened. The natural response is to start again, rebuild, and renew.
Your storms can birth renewals and inspire innovations if you can seize the moment with faith and courage.
Conclusion
You didn't invite the storms in your life. You couldn't have done that because storms have a mind and timing of their own. But what you do with the storm, in the storm, and after the storm can change everything for you.
We pray and hope you rise high, soar, and land safely on the other side of your storms, into new levels of greatness and impact.
End of Part 1. Go to Part 2
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