How to Keep Faith During Life's Storms

When I was in church last Sunday I became so overwhelmed by God's love and goodness. We were singing the song "Good, Good Father" by Chris Tomlin. Do you know it?

The lyrics are:

You're a good, good father

It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are

And I'm loved by you

It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

I've seen many searching for answers far and wide

But I know we're all searching

For answers only you provide

'Cause you know just what we need

Before we say a word

While I was singing along and meditating on God's love and faithfulness I started thinking about those of us who are not in a season of plenty and harvest. I started thinking about those of us who are in the desert and struggling to see God's hand in their lives. Suddenly, I heard God's gentle whisper, "my love never changes." No matter what we've done or what storm we're facing His love is just as strong, just as intense, just as overwhelming as when times are good.

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This world is full of unfathomable pain, suffering, and evil. With all the terror attacks, mass shootings, war, child abuse, kidnapping, rape, human trafficking, murder, terminal illness, deadly accidents, devastation, hunger, and poverty, we might find ourselves wondering where God is.

A few years ago, a young woman was murdered in our area. She was only 22 years old. She was friends with my cousin and I see updates on the investigation surrounding her death here and there. The last update was full of vivid details that I had never read before. The words kept bombarding my mind and stirring my heart. I can't imagine what she went through in her last few hours on Earth. I keep thinking about her parents who have been living in a nightmare since her death. I can't imagine the pain they've endured over losing a child let alone the pain of knowing the intricate details of how she suffered.

Sadly, the world is full of stories like this one; full of broken, aching hearts. When we're in a storm, especially one as fierce as this, we may feel that God has abandoned us. When the dark clouds and heavy rains keep God out of sight and the sound of thunder drowns out His voice, how can we know that He's still there and still cares?

I don't know the details of the storm your facing but I know that sometimes we feel like we're not strong enough to bear the pain, to survive the suffering, to keep fighting. I know that sometimes we doubt God's existence, love, and faithfulness. I may not be able to walk a mile in your shoes to know the depth of your pain but God knows. Psalm 56:8 says, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle." God cares so much that He has caught every tear you've shed. If you've been facing a storm and can't feel God's love for you, I pray that you would allow me the honor of speaking God's word in the hopes that a few clouds may part and allow God's light to shine through.

I've been reading a book called Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and the author, Joann Weaver, says that Satan's most effective tactics are the three D's: distraction, discouragement, and doubt - in that order. He delights in our storms and our distance from God. If we're going to fight against this, we need to work backward through each of the three Ds.

1 | Trust in God.

The first step is to overcome doubt. Joann Weaver says that if Satan can't make us doubt God's existence, he'll make us doubt God's love. Satan knows how much God loves us but if he can keep us from seeing it, he can keep us trapped. We're called to have "trust without borders," like the song, Oceans by Hillsong United, says. God's calling us out upon the water in the middle of the storm. He's calling us to step out in faith just like He did with Peter. Matthew 14:22-33 says:

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

There are two important lessons in this passage:1) Peter was able to walk on water until he started to focus on his earthly circumstances and began to doubt and 2) even when we set our sights on the wind and the waves instead of keeping our eyes steadily on Jesus, He is still there to catch us. You can trust in Him. He won't let you down.

2 | Search for God.

The second step is to overcome discouragement. Satan wants nothing more than for us to feel tossed around, defeated and discouraged. But, God says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). This is a promise from God. He will always be there. Just as ships lost on the raging seas search for a lighthouse, we ought to search for God. He is our lighthouse; steady and unchanging, always present and shining its light for us to find. We just have to look for it. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." God is always by our side. When we can't rely on our sight or hearing, we need to search for Him with all our hearts.

3 | Focus on God.

The last step is to overcome distractions. Nothing can distract us from God like the raging seas, strong winds and heavy rains of a storm. Colossians 3:2 instructs us to "set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things." Of course, Satan wants the opposite. He wants to keep us focused on earthly things and he uses our storms for his purpose. He knows that if we are distracted by our worries and concerns, we won't focus on God.

We can't talk about suffering without talking about Job. The story of Job is a hard one. He was a good, Godly man and God boasted about him to Satan. Satan argued that Job only loved and praised God because he'd been given so many blessings. God, trusting that Job would not turn his back on God, allowed Satan to test Job.

Job lost many blessings he had been given: his home burnt down, all his ten children died, and he lost his livestock which was his livelihood. But, he still praised God. Then, he lost his health. Satan gave him painful sores all over his body. Job's wife had already told him twice to "curse God and die" but Job continued to praise God. In his act of praise, Job chose to set his mind on things above instead of focusing on his earthly circumstances. Job's story is so amazing because even after all he suffered, he still knew that God was deserving of his honor and praise. Because of this, God returned everything Job lost ten-fold.

While we don't know what God's will is and we can't control what happens, we can be sure that God is by our side. He is still worthy of all our praise even in the midst of the fiercest storm. No matter what you're going through, I know that God loves you beyond measure. I pray that you would know that deep your heart too.

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