HOW TO EXPERIENCE JESUS IN THE STORM

How can you experience Jesus in the storm? Are you going through a difficult time right now? What kind of storm are you in? Could it be the storm of a financial crisis? Or could it be a relationship crisis? In what areas are you experiencing some sort of storm? Did you know you can experience Jesus in the storm? Do you know you don’t have to go through the pain alone? There are things in life that one cannot avoid as it is a way of life. Tragedy, loss, pain, hurt, disappointment and heartbreak are all a part of life. Just because you are a Christian does not mean that you are immune to some world’s problems.

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

But we have a promise from Jesus and that is, He will be there with you through the storms and the valleys. He even says that He is close to the broken-hearted. So what do you do when you pray for someone to get well and they don’t? Jesus, after all, says that we are healed in His name and by His stripes. 1 Peter 2:24

As a Christian, it can be discouraging when the prayers don’t seem to get answered, especially those that are in line with God’s will. We obviously know that God desires us to receive healing. That is why it says that by His stripes, we are healed. We received healing on the cross and can access it when we need it. Again, one mandate given to the disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven was to heal the sick. The ministry of Jesus revolved around healing. Looking at this, you almost wonder why some never get healed when we pray and others do. I wonder as well.

To help us understand how to experience Jesus in the storm, let us look at a passage in scripture.

Jesus Calms the Storm

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³ As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake so that the boat was swamped, and they were in great danger. ²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵ “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

In this scripture, we see Jesus’ disciples experience a storm with Jesus being present. But the interesting thing to note here is that they experienced the storm right after Jesus had performed some extraordinary miracles. In the previous chapter, Jesus had healed the servant of a Centurion by only speaking a word. He had raised a widow’s son from the dead. And right before they encountered the storm, He had healed Peter’s mother-in-law. When the storm came, they forgot the past miracles and they were afraid.

Right before the storm, Jesus had made them a promise, and the promise was that they would get to the other side. They had a word from Jesus before they encountered the storm. How kind of Jesus to do that. Jesus knows that you and I are human and He will always give us a word to anchor us during the storm. So then, what lessons can we learn from this passage?

Lessons to learn

Before Jesus takes you through a storm, He will give you a word to anchor you in the middle of your storm. Before the disciples experienced the storm, Jesus promised them they would get to the other side. And this is what Jesus wants to do for you too. There is a word that Jesus has given you to help you navigate your storm, do you know it?

Jesus will give you a revelation of who He is just before the storm. What I mean by this, the disciples had already experienced Jesus as Healer and Resurrection. They had also seen the power of faith and the word of Jesus. After all, it was through a word that the servant of the Centurion was healed. They had experienced the power of Jesus in some areas before the storm.

Jesus was present during the storm. The presence of a storm does not negate the presence of Jesus. Jesus can allow you to go through a storm. But just because you are experiencing one does not mean that Jesus has abandoned you. He is present and will never leave you nor forsake you. How then can you position yourself to experience Jesus in the storm?

How to experience Jesus in the storm.

Prayer will open your spiritual eyes to the fact that Jesus is in the storm.

When you are in a storm, the last thing you want to do is pray. However, it is when you are in a storm that you should take time to pray. Prayer shifts circumstances and changes our environments. Prayer does not have to be complicated and structured. It does not even have to be long. Sometimes prayer can be as simple as asking Jesus for help. You can do as the disciples did and cry out to Jesus for help.

What I want you to know, however, is, don’t stop praying. The enemy wants to take your prayer away because he understands the power of prayer. It might not look like things are changing. But I want to assure you they are. Sometimes the storm could be irreversible, like a loss. And in such a situation, the best thing to do is to just trust Jesus. He knows the reason it had to happen as it did. I know it hurts. But I want to request you to pray. It does not matter what you utter. The disciples did not say the right things. In fact, they voiced out their frustrations by asking Jesus if the fact they were perishing bothered Him.

Prayer should be honest, raw, and real. There is no need to make proper prayers. God is not interested in that. He wants you to every honest. And to prove it to you, let me give you a scripture in Philippians 4:6-7.

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Jesus wants you to bring everything to Him. Hold nothing back. He is your loving Father and He is interested in everything you have to tell Him. It does not matter if what you have to tell Him is that you are angry and frustrated with Him. Maybe you are disappointed in Him. Whatever the case is, I want to encourage you to be honest with God. Like Mary, pour your heart out to Jesus. He cares and wants to listen to you.

Worship

Your worship is powerful when you are in the storm. God inhabits in the praises of His people. And your praise and worship will help shift the atmosphere. When Paul and Silas were in the middle of their storm, they praised and worshipped. It was because of their praise that God loosed the prison doors and chains. In your storm, worship. You will feel His presence when you decide to worship Him It does not mean that He is not present when you choose not to worship. It just means that when you worship Him, you realize His presence.

Your breakthrough could be in your worship. I know what you are experiencing is difficult right now, but today I beseech you to worship God and allow your worship to shift your circumstance today.

Take it a day at a time

You don’t need to have it all figured out or wonder how you will get out of the storm. What you should focus on taking it a day at a time. Sometimes all you need to do is to take it second by second. Just breathe child of God. You are not meant to have it all figured out. Certainly not when you are in the storm. Do what you can do in the moment. Worry about now and let tomorrow worry about itself. That you are here is all you need to focus on.

Celebrate every second you see a smile pop up on your face. When you find that you have the strength to get out of bed, celebrate that. Focus on celebrating the small things. Sometimes that is all that matters.

Always remember that you will not always feel like this. There will come a time when you will experience joy and laugh again. After all, the truth is that you will get to the other side.

Stand on the promises of God.

What word did God give you before you went through the storm? Hold on to that word. In the midst of the storm remember that the promise God gave you will come to pass. He is not a man that He should lie. What He has promised He will bring to pass.

So what now?

Although we can never understand God’s ways, what we can be sure of is that we are not God and we can never know why He does some things. What we can rest on however is that He will always be there with us even in the storms and even when we do not know what to say, He knows what we are trying to say amid our tears and frustrations. He sees our broken hearts, and He feels the pain. Jesus was human, so He went through all the emotions we go through. We saw Him weep when Lazarus died. So he knows our pain.

The best course of action is to run to Him with the tears streaming down our faces in the confusion and tell Him we do not understand and we are hurt, frustrated and angry. We can pour all those frustrations on Him and not be embarrassed to vent. But just remember that you need to allow yourself to feel the pain and process it. It hurts, sucks, and is very painful but remember we were not meant to deal with it alone. We can not do it on our own.

We have to hold on to the hope of resurrection and that the Holy Spirit is the engagement ring that confirms that resurrection. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and precious friend. He is with you in that pain and heartbreak. Jesus wants to give you peace that surpasses all understanding and He wants to work everything out for your good. He also wants to restore those broken pieces and give you beauty for ashes. He is waiting with arms wide open to console you and help you in your healing as you process it all.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, we cannot change what happens, and sometimes it can be as irreversible as death. But we can trust that even the worst of circumstances will work out for our good. How? You ask? I do not know, but in our confusion, we can look for that small light that will guide us in the storm. That small light is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He is the light in the darkness and a shelter in the storm’s time. In that storm, process the emotions to avoid it becoming a stronghold that will open a can of worms that will take more time to heal.

The memories of the person can be what you hold on to and also remember to spend time with those you love. Grudges are not worth it and we are here for a period. So be with those you love. Spend time with them, forgive wholeheartedly, love unconditionally, laugh often, and create memories because one day those will be what you have left. Let us take on the child-like nature.

Remember, nothing catches God by surprise, He knows everything and so you can trust that He who got you in the storm will get you out of it. You are not alone; He is with you. Don’t be afraid, He is still the same. Just be still and allow Him to be your peace. He who began an excellent work in you is faithful to bring it to completion.