Storm Reactions

God does some of His beast work in bad weather.

It rained all day here on Sunday. As I sat in my church worship service the rain steadily came down. It never let up. While our sermon was not about rain or storms, the incessant rain reminded me that God does some of His best work in bad weather.

We all know the story of the disciples in the boat in the storm. Quite a few of them were actually fishermen and fishermen don’t panic very easily over weather.

I remember one time as a child, being out in the ocean with my family, with my daddy at the wheel and a storm came up in the Gulf of Mexico. There were whitecaps all around us and thunder loudly crashing. I remember worrying that I might bounce out of the boat, but Daddy was a Navy man. He wasn’t concerned at all. He lead us safely back to the dock.

So, when professional fishermen were terrified in a storm, it must have been bad. Yet, Jesus was asleep. He wasn’t the least bit worried. He knew they would not sink because He had them. But, when they called on Him, He had compassion for them and He calmed the storm with three words. “Quiet! Be still!” Mark 4:39

Over a thousand years later in 1735, John Wesley was on a ship bound for America as a missionary. A horrible storm struck. A group of Moravian missionaries were in the middle of a worship service, the main sail was split in half and ocean water poured over the decks of the ship. The other passengers were screaming and in full panic.

But, the Moravians kept singing and praising God, even their children. Their faith left such and impression on Wesley that he visited one of their services a couple of years later and found his heart, “strangely warmed.”

He took that spark and along with his brother Charles, started the Methodist church.

God does some of His best work in the storms. Not only does He use them to grow our faith and trust in Him, but if we allow Him, like the Moravians, He can use our faith reactions in the storms to plant seeds and grow faith in others.

As our pastor pointed out yesterday, God is never surprised. He knows where we are going and He holds us in His hands, so we have a choice in how we will react to the storms. We can choose to panic like the disciples did or to have faith like the Moravians. Our choice can have far-reaching repercussions.

A rainy Sunday reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂