Praising God in the Storm

It’s so easy to praise God when we experience blessings, whatever forms they may take. The challenge for most Christians, however, is maintaining this attitude when the storms come. Storms of life, often unexpected, are realities faced by everyone, believers in Christ, and non-believers alike. Some storms of life may last only over a short period of time while others may prolong over one's lifetime. Despite the availability of several books claiming to have the blueprint for dealing with life's storms, the sad reality is that there is no easy way out of life's storms. You may be wondering, what are life's storms anyway? In Mark 4:35-38, we read: 

Mark 4:35-41 KJV  And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.  (36)  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  (37)  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  (38)  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  (39)  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  (40)  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?  (41)  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Life's storms can be likened to the situation Jesus and his disciples faced. Oftentimes, when all seem calm in our lives and then suddenly a calamity befalls us: this could be a medical diagnosis, serious injury, the loss of a job or a relationship, etc. and we are left wondering where our God is. Like the disciples, there is a tendency for most Christians to become fearful when the storms arise. And if we are not careful our faith may falter in the midst of the storm. But one question I keep asking myself in the midst of life's storms is if I can believe in a Savior I have not seen and even ascribe all the glory to Him when good things happen to me then why am I drawn to doubt about His presence with me in the midst of the storm? Some brothers and sisters in Christ have fallen away from the Christian faith due to life's storms. For them, the occurrence of any storm of life is as much a problem as to how to overcome the storm.

Beloved in Christ, let us reason together about how to walk through the storm to victory. First, I want to remind you that as a child of God you need to be firmly rooted in the word of God. This is critical for your survival and victory in life's storms. In Luke 8:4-15, Jesus told a parable about a sower who went out to sow his seed. From the parable, we learn that some of the seed fell by the wayside, some fell upon a rock, some fell among thorns, and some other fell on good ground. Jesus interprets that the seed (that is the word of God) that fell on the good ground are those who receive the word with an "honest and good heart" and who "having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8:15). Being rooted in the word of God involves receiving the word with an "honest and good heart" and meditating and applying the word to your life daily. When we become rooted in God's word, we will have a complete focus on God instead of focusing on ourselves or dwelling on the pleasures and cares of this world. With our eyes focused on God, the weight of any storm that comes our way will give way to the peace that only the presence of God provides. 

I would like to show you two scriptures that have always served as a reminder of God's power that is revealed when songs of praises are lifted up to Him. The first relates to Jehoshaphat when he was facing the Moabites and the Ammonites who had come to war with the people of God. Facing such a great army and after seeking counsel, Jehoshaphat appointed some people to "sing to the Lord and praise Him for the splendor of His holiness" (2 Chronicles 20:21) and as they raised their voices in praise the Lord their actions led to the defeat of their enemies. We read below:

2 Chronicles 20:1, 20-24 KJV  (1) It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle......(20) And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.  (21)  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.  (22)  And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. (23) For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.  (24)  And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

The second relates to when Paul and Silas were held in prison. The word of God reveals another powerful result of praising God - loosing our bondage. We read below:

Act 16:25-26 KJV (25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  (26)  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

The word of God makes clear that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). If you have faith as small as a mustard seed then I encourage you to have faith in the power of praise to release God's power and deliverance upon any storm you face in life. No matter the storm you are facing right now I encourage you to make Psalm 136 your daily song. I will leave you with the first verse of Psalm 136:

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.         (Psalm 136:1 KJV)

God bless you!