WAIT OUT THE STORM

I penned these words a little over a week ago. It was Saturday morning and I had just awoken from a dream. In the dream, there was a terrible rain storm and I was in it. I was riding a bike and because of the rain storm which had resulted in a flood, it was impossible for me to get home on that bike despite all my efforts. As I struggled on, I met my dad who was also trying to get home. Just a moment after, we saw a pink & white colored building in a corner. It was a hotel; and the sky looked bright and weather, dry over on that side. Dad pointed and suggested that we go in there to wait out the storm. I almost objected, but considering our situation in that storm, I realized that we had no choice and so decided to go in. Then I woke up.

As I pondered on that dream, I heard God telling me some things. 

There is always a provision from God in stormy times. God always provides that place of solace and comfort where we, as His children, can wait out the storm. Although, we may not see it because we are too focused on the stormy situation; but it’s true, our Father always provides solace for us in troubled times. Sometimes this comfort zone may seem like a diversion from where you’re really going. You may think that you’re losing sight, you’re derailing and time is running out. But remember, there’s a storm out there, it’s better to wait somewhere than to die in it.

That’s what Jesus did in Mark 4:35-41. A storm arose while He & His disciples were in the middle of the sea. Jesus, in His wisdom, chose to wait out the storm at the bottom side of the boat. He slept even in the raging storm. He must’ve thought to Himself, “I had better get a nap now while this storm lasts; when the storm is over, work begins. I’ll have to start teaching again.” Jesus chose to wait out the storm. The disciples on the other hand chose to deal with it; and as we know, it didn’t profit them.

From the disciples’ experience that night, we can see many dangers to trying to deal with a storm without the support of the Master Storm Stiller.

1.    Feeling of Failure: Dealing with a storm that is bigger than you will only leave you with a feeling of failure. Every of your effort will come smashing back in your face. The disciples tried to scoop water out of the boat. The more they tried, the more water came into the boat. In that dream, I tried everything to maneuver my bicycle. I adjusted the arms, adjusted the seat, adjusted the pedals, and still couldn’t make it anywhere; everywhere was filled with water. I almost could not differentiate a gully from a pathway. It’s never rewarding when you try to deal with that terrible situation by yourself. 

2.    Fear/Lack of Faith in God’s ability: Storms are scary. They are so scary that they can sap out every ounce of faith in you if you let them.  You suddenly forget all of God’s promises to you, almost deeming Him a liar. Storms sap your faith. I know this because Jesus, after He had been prematurely awoken from His sleep said to the disciples, “How is it that you have no faith?” I just went through a major a storm in my life and it’s not over yet. It’s still raging out there. But I’m here in Christ, waiting it out. And I believe God gave me this dream to let me know that I should not be afraid & lose heart because of the delay. I’m just waiting out the storm. However, while I tried to deal with this storm by myself, my faith was terribly battered. Thank God for His restoration.

Sometimes, we need to look around us. If the Master Storm Stiller isn’t battling the storm with you, look around for where He is, and wait out the storm in Him. One thing is certain, the storm will subside, and the sun will shine again and there will be calm. 

3.    Lack of Clarity: You can’t see anything in a storm. All you can see in a storm is the storm itself. You can’t see where you’re going. You can’t strategize. You can’t think. You’re so overwhelmed with the storm that nothing else moves on in your life. You think it and breathe it; your prayer points are centered on it; your other responsibilities suffer. Of course, you can’t pray for anyone else while you try to deal with a storm. It’s only about you, you and you. You whine, “Can’t they see what’s going on with me? Why are people so selfish? Oh no! I can’t offer help to anyone – not right now.”

Friend, there’s a hotel right on the corner. Go wait out the storm in there. You’ll have time to think and re-strategize. You can listen to Him give you new ideas, what next steps you’ll need to take on your journey, while He handles your troublesome situation. 

4.    Fatigue: A storm wears you out completely – physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, maritally and financially – all around batter. To move against a storm, one needs to multiply his strength. It takes so much effort and it gets you tired really quickly; and not long after, “giving up” seems appealing to you.

Again, there’s a hotel just some meters from where you are right now. You can freshen up there; brush your teeth and have some dinner. Watch some TV and rest in the arms of the Almighty God. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He promised to be with you every step of the way (Isaiah 43:2). He is too faithful to lie (Hebrews 10:23). Things may not be going as you hoped right now. But trust Him, He has a better plan. You just have the few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that you need right now. He has got the cover box and so He sees and knows the bigger picture that you do not see. It may make no sense to you right now, but it makes a whole lot of sense to Him because He is the Mastermind of that bigger picture. Just wait on Him. He’ll still that storm. Don’t be like the disciples who forgot Jesus’ words just a few minutes after He had said, “Let us go over to the other side” (Mark 4:35). One thing the disciples failed to understand that night was that as long as Jesus was in that boat and having made that statement to take them to the other side, there was no way they were going to sink in that sea. No matter what had happened, they’d definitely have gotten to the other side. God is too faithful – TOO FAITHFUL – to lie. TOO FAITHFUL --- remember that!

Friend, just wait out the storm. It’ll cease soon and you can move on to where He’s taking you to.