Three times in this past week I have had very similar conversations with different people. I am really enjoying this season of focus on relational connection. There has been a clear call to turn away from building organisation and toward building people through relationship. It might be slower than holding meetings and speaking from the platform, but one-to-one or small group conversations in this season are proving to be so very rich, and always mutually beneficial & encouraging (thank You God for an end to positioning & hierarchy). And in this stormy season, our need to encourage each other is greater than ever. For it is the current storms that so many are facing that have been the subject of many recent conversations.
Whether people are going through external storms of feeling under attack from the enemy or under pressure from their circumstances, or whether they are experiencing more internal storms of trying to press in to God and advance in His calling, or even just not seeing the promises God has given them in the Spiritual realm made manifest in the natural realm yet (speaking personally, I would say all of those apply to my family right now) – there seems to be immense pressure all around right now. Many people are feeling caught in a storm, with impossible circumstances and intense feelings raging all around.
As I’ve been reading through the Bible in One Year I’ve been really encouraged by Job and the clear lesson that suffering comes from the enemy to test us all and is not a sign of failure, and more recently by the example of the Israelites in Exodus 14, caught between the enemy pursuing them to drag them back to captivity, and the impassable obstacle before them. There was absolutely nothing they could do to deliver themselves – God had brought them to this point so He could show His mighty power on their behalf. As I used to teach my preschool kids, a miracle is when God does something impossible. So for us to be positioned ready to receive a miracle, we have to come to a place of impossibility. And that is neither comfortable nor pleasant. It usually induces feelings of panic, fear, and helplessness, not at all how ‘good Christians’ are supposed to feel.
But one thing I have learned from past journeys via impossible, impassable roads is that God is ALWAYS good. It is HIS faithfulness that delivers us – not whether or not we feel like strong overcomers. When we were told we couldn’t have children and we journeyed through 6 1/2 years of tortuous barrenness, I had seasons of standing strong in faith, trusting and believing – and other seasons of stormy feelings: utterly broken, overwhelmed by pain, too weak to fight, and just clinging to God, barely trusting that He would somehow bring me through. And you know what? He remained faithful through it all: never changing but completely loving, committed to keeping me safe and to fulfilling His promise. And He did just that – we received our miracles, just as He had promised – because He is good. It was a stormy, uncomfortable journey, but it was not meant to be comfortable, otherwise we wouldn’t have grown.
I recently read an article about a science experiment in the early 90s, called Biosphere 2. In this experiment they set up a miniature version of planet Earth inside a huge sealed facility, complete with a variety of different habitats & biomes. It was in many ways a great success but one of the problems they encountered fascinated me: their trees grew too tall too quickly and would fall over. After investigation they realised that it was because there was no wind inside the Biosphere: the pressure & resistance of the wind is essential to the growth of trees because it causes them to put down deeper roots, and it toughens the trunks by causing the growth of reaction wood, or stress wood, which is not only stronger but also helps to position the tree so it gets the best light (article here if you’re interested).
Storms are not bad for us. On the contrary – they are our friend, helping us to put down roots, grow stronger, and grow towards the light.
So we know from Job that our current storms do not mean we have failed. We know from the Israelites that stormy pressure from both sides just means we are positioned for a miracle. And we know from the Gospels that storms do not faze Jesus (Luke 8:22-25; Matt 14:22-31). So when we are caught in a storm with its noisy wind & intimidating waves, what do we do? When we are caught between a pursuing enemy and an impassable obstacle, how do we react?
We wait. For that is all we can do.
Until God gives us a command (‘hold out your staff’, or ‘come to Me on the water’), sometimes all that is left for us to do is acknowledge the situation, accept that we are powerless in ourselves, and wait for God. It is not a passive waiting, like waiting for a bus with no timetable. It’s an eyes-fixed-to-the-hills-for-our-deliverer’s-appearance waiting; the kind of waiting where God is everything, ie an if-He-doesn’t-come-through-we’re-done-for kind of waiting. He WILL come through (He always does), but in the waiting we have to subdue our feelings from raging uncontrollably like the storm, into perfect stillness before God. Our thoughts & feelings will react to the pressure and carry us off if we let them have their way, cause us to let go of the promises and give up on hope. But if Jesus is asleep in the boat we have nothing to fear.
Sailors in a storm do not take the helm and try to fight the storm – that would risk leaving them wounded, with a broken ship. They have to let go. But we do not simply let go of the helm and let the storm take us. No, we do what sailors do, and drop anchor. In open water (which I believe applies to most of us since we left the harbour of the old era to pioneer into the New), they use a sea anchor. Sea anchors have many fascinating lessons to teach us, for another post maybe, but essentially they stop the boat from being rolled by the waves, and keep it pointing into the wind.
Jesus is our anchor. He keeps us pointing the right way, and keeps us afloat even in the midst of rolling waves. When intense storms and impossible circumstances arise that we cannot overcome, we fix our eyes on HIM, take our hands off the helm, and trust that with Him as our anchor, He will bring us through. We can’t trust to ourselves. For those trained in religion, it is so tempting to think “I just need to pray more… fast more… take authority more… somehow BE more”. But that’s like wrestling at the helm in a perilous storm. Of course there is truth in needing to pray, fast, use our authority etc. But if what we do is our go-to, we’ve missed it. The blessing of storms is that they reveal the futility of such thought. Sometimes we simply have to let go and let God. Religion teaches us to focus on ourselves, on whether we believe enough or are good enough Christians. Faith focuses on Jesus. He doesn’t rescue us because we deserve it – He rescues us because HE is good and faithful – ALWAYS!
And so after the multiple conversations this week around the subject of how to express faith while in a storm of immense pressure, I was praying this morning for those who are facing storms, feeling disorientated & overwhelmed, weak and broken. And I received these words,
“Tell My people I am with them still. The storm is raging but I am in the boat with them – I have not left or forgotten them. My beloved ones, do not fear this temporary storm – it will blow itself out soon enough. But I have a place of rest right here with me – won’t you come closer and receive My peace and strength? I am your answer. The time to walk on water is almost upon us, so won’t you use this time to practice looking at Me, not the storm? It has no authority over you, no ability to destroy you while I am here. But I do have authority and the ability to fill you with peace and faith as you gaze upon My face and receive My love and good plans for you. Come and rest with me – learn to rein in those wild emotions of fear, doubt, and unbelief, and the winds of confusion and hopelessness sent to buffet you. You have My authority to make them all submit, but don’t look to your ability – it will fuel shallow & temporary growth. Look to Me; My goodness and faithfulness will anchor you to the rock of My salvation and release the grace you need to overcome.
Beloved, you have a choice before you:
Look at the wind & the waves of your circumstances which will terrify and paralyse you;
Look to yourself and how you ‘should’ behave as a Christian (eg you ‘should’ be fearless, you ‘should’ walk on water, you ‘should’ calm the storm), which will only confuse and condemn you as you do not have the ability in yourself to overcome – or worse, fill you with pride if you somehow manage to stay standing;
Or you can look to Me, see the love in My gaze and see My authority & grace. Only then, when you stop looking at the stormy circumstances or at your broken & inadequate self, and look to Who I am – only then will you find the grace to overcome.
But I am with you. Do not lose heart, and never forget. I have promised to never leave you, and to see the work I started in you through to completion. I am here – in the boat. There is nothing to fear.”
In the Secret Place 
Leave a comment