Whirlwinds, Storms and Yachts...

Sailing in bliss, the yacht of life gracefully glides forward, it's a perfect weather made for beautiful pictures to be displayed on facebook and instagram. All is calm and bright and wonderful. There are jokes, laughter and there is rest until suddenly, a violent whirlwind comes to rock your world; your expensive, classy yacht feels like it’s going to be buried in the once peaceful sea of life. The fierce wind howls mockingly. In that moment, the sunshine and laughter of the calm weather, the luxury of life as it was begins to feel like an illusion.

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A trial of such great turmoil hits your life, violent and destructive in it’s own way and you feel like it’s all over, because the man got you to get on the boat in the first place, this man Jesus, seems silent, like He’s asleep. It doesn’t even make sense to think He’s in the boat with you because if He really were, He would stir from His sleep and rescue you. Thus we let fear lead us to all sorts of prayer houses and panic overdrive… we run around shouting for help and are willing to be saved by anyone who can get us out of the rocking boat and far away from the storm.  

‘One day he and his disciples got in a boat. “Let’s cross the lake,” he said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

Getting to his feet, he told the wind, “Silence!” and the waves, “Quiet down!” They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.

Then he said to his disciples, “Why can’t you trust me?”’ Luke 8: 22-25(msg)

If the disciples stood still long enough to think, they would probably have realized that the storm was strong enough to destroy them but it didn’t, because it couldn’t, because they had Jesus and they were in the boat because they were following Him. They said, “We’re going to drown” another version says “we are perishing”… but they didn't drown and they didn't perish! They were still standing even though they were staggering about…

I am in a storm, like many of us… our calm may have been destroyed, but think about it, you’re not mopping all day in depression, you can still sleep at night and your appetite hasn’t totally ceased, you still push and have a will to live, to take it one step at a time. You still find things to make you laugh even with the pressure. You haven’t committed suicide even if you may have thought about it… Yes there is a storm,  a fierce whirlwind filling your beautiful yacht of life with water, trying to take you under, but think about it… if it could kill you, you would have been dead by now, you would have drowned in all the issues. It looks like it’s going to drown you, but as far as I'm concerned, you have not drowned, and your head is still above water, it would take you down if it could... you're still winning, until you jump overboard in fear.

You're still standing because deep inside, you're holding on to something, to someone... God! Well that may not be your story, but that's mine. I stand, because I know He's in this boat with me, it's scary sometimes, and I feel like the disciples must have felt, but I don't jump off in my fear, I do they same thing they did, run to nudge Him awake... because I know He can and will make everything alright. 
Sometimes I'm strong enough to stare the storm in the face, not bothering with panicking and throwing a tantrum at God in my trust, knowing that He will and it'll be fine in the end.

If being broke and jobless, unmarried or without child, called a failure and being confused about your future, or stumbling over and over again, getting passed over for promotion and loosing another bid for yet another life changing contract had the power to kill you, you’d be dead. But it hasn’t, because you have Jesus in the boat with you and even if it feels like He’s sleeping, His presence alone is enough to keep you living, knowing that it’s alright, and it’s just a matter of time before He speaks to the storm saying “peace be still”.

So in the meantime, He’s asking you and the doubt and fear you accommodate, that’s about making you jump ship “Why can’t you trust me?”“ why are you afraid? You have so little faith” “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” “Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith?”

The righteous man has many troubles, but God always delivers him. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”Psalm 34:18-19

He comes to your rescue each time… going through a storm of sickness or whatever? Keep going, the storm can’t get you, He’s here and it’s only a matter of time before He says “peace be still” and you’re back to relaxing in the sun on the deck of your yacht of life and just living.

“The peace of God does not assume everything will be all right. It confirms that simply because we have God, everything is alright.” Ezekiel Azonwu @wordsbyezekiel 

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But seriously, how many of us can stand in the midst of a storm? Seeing all that's coming after you? I mean look at that picture, it's scary, you're only human if you find yourself panicking... but that's what faith is about, trusting, even when the odds are against you, trusting enough to set fear aside knowing that He is able and He's always with you, "never will I leave you, never will I forsake you"... It's never easy to trust, but it's not impossible to. Keep trying to trust, keep trusting!