July 9

Life’s circumstances are constantly changing. Like the waves of the sea, they ebb and flow continually. Sometimes the Sea of Life is silky smooth without a ripple in sight. Sometimes the waves are tumultuous and they break over us with a fury that threatens to drown our hope and our faith in a wash of insurmountable problems.

We who trust the name of Jesus, of course, know He is with us. We understand that dark storms come as do the beautiful sunlit days. We know that He is forever unchanging, no matter how our circumstances may alter, but that does not negate our anxiety when huge waves are breaking over our lives!

Like the disciples of Jesus who cried out in fear when it appeared He did not care that their boat was being battered by the winds and waves (Luke 8:24), so we wail in despair when it seems our plight has gone unnoticed by the Lord. But He has not forsaken us any more than He did them. As He had their storm under control, so He has ours. Why does He allow the storms to progress to the point where they overwhelm our sense of control?

Because He wants us to know we have no control—He does! He controls the storm and in the midst of it He says to us, “The Lord of peace Himself will grant you peace in all times, whatever comes,” (II Thessalonians 3:16) and the best proof of that is the abiding sense of well-being He gives to His own when they are battered by the storms of life. Anyone can feel at peace while on a silky sea, but it takes the assurance of Christ to maintain that peace in adversity.