You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
You should celebrate
by offering sacrifices
and singing joyful songs
to tell what he has done.
Some of you made a living
by sailing the mighty sea,
and you saw the miracles
the Lord performed there.
At his command a storm arose,
and waves covered the sea.
You were tossed to the sky
and to the ocean depths,
until things looked so bad
that you lost your courage.
You staggered like drunkards
and gave up all hope.
You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
He made the storm stop
and the sea be quiet.
You were happy because of this,
and he brought you to the port
where you wanted to go.
Psalm 107:21-30
Even among those who believe in God and His Almighty Power there is a debate about whether or not God is the author of destructive weather. I suppose more importantly when "natural disasters" come there is no cry to God for help! We live as if God were dead or completely unable to help in times of trouble.
It may not be a storm with rain and wind and lightning, but there is a storm in your life. There is something that is threatening your peace and security and has at least for now taken your joy and replaced it with fear! You can choose to ignore the storm and hope to "ride it out." That is what the people did in the days of Noah and they were destroyed. Or you can recognize the power of God to calm the storm in your life and call out to Him for help!
The difference between a storm that is sent by God or allowed by God is this: God sends storms to get the attention of those who need to repent and turn back to Him. Satan sends storms in an attempt to destroy the faith of those who are followers of Jesus. You need to know where the storm comes from. If the storm is from God, then repent. If the storm is from Satan then hold tightly to your faith.
But you may say, "I'm not sure who authored this storm. It may have been God and it may have been Satan." Then surely you must do both. Repent and hold tightly to your faith!
Think about it. Is there a day when you can honestly say,"There is nothing in my life of which I need to repent!"
So here is the best advice. Even when there are no storms in your life, repent and hold on to your faith. And do those two things every day!
"Lord Jesus, I know You can calm this storm in my life today. And Jesus I trust You to do just that as I repent of my sin and hold on hard to the faith that You gave me. Praise Your Name forever! Amen."
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