Storms

2MefromHim Devotional

Topping the summit of the 13,000 foot Imogene Pass in Colorado, I stopped our jeep to watch a storm moving in. Thunderstorms travel fast in the high mountains, and this one moved in with a vengeance. We headed down the mountain with the wind rocking the jeep and rain pelting the windshield.

 
As usual, I was driving. Getting out on four-wheel drive trails is one of the few adventurous things I enjoy. All of a sudden my husband pointed to where two people were struggling up the mountain. With lightning crackling all around, he got out and asked them if we could give them a ride to the bottom. They accepted, but were surprised to see I was the driver. Since they were women, I found their response laughable. He told them I was the one they wanted to be driving, since this was “my thing.”

The two hiked that mountain often, but were quite unprepared for a sudden storm, having only plastic rain ponchos for their protection. Once safely to their car, they thanked us and we headed back, this time able to enjoy the scenery as the storm had passed.
Life’s storms often move in just as fast as that mountain thunderstorm, and with as much violence. We can be caught unaware and as unprepared as those women. When Jesus’ disciples were in a storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was sleeping in the boat, undisturbed. They woke Him up, telling Him they would all drown. He responded by saying, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
Unexpected trials often bring out our deepest anxieties, no matter how close we are to the Lord. In those times, we forget He is in control and focus on how unprepared we are. Even long-time believers react in fear, thinking the worst is certain to happen.
When the disciples awakened Jesus, they never expected Him to tell the storm to cease. They “were amazed.” We are often surprised at the unexpected displays of God’s power in our times of need, but Jesus is in the driver’s seat.
Spend time reading scripture when times are good. Then when life’s storms take you by surprise, you can react in faith, recognizing that God already knows the outcome and has it well in hand. Trials will come, but you can be at peace knowing Jesus is in control.