Finding the Calm in the Storm

I grew up in the Midwest of the United States, and was often startled awake in the night by a flash of lightning and a crack of loud thunder. I grew to love those storms and even miss them when a summer goes by now without a proper thunderstorm. The part of England where I live now is not known to have thunderstorms very often. It is quite an event—worthy of news articles when it happens! Recently we had one of those storms accompanied by major flash flooding. There were roads completely flooded within minutes of the start of the storm. People were shocked at how fast the water rose and some even reported that this was the first time they saw such an event as this in Peterborough. The news article I read about the storm said we received half a month’s worth of rain in just a couple of hours. The rain and floods caused massive delays on the parkways and sent people into a right fit about it all. There was not any CALM in this storm.

The presence of storms in life are not unique to any person. In fact, someone has rightfully said that at any given time in life, everyone is in a storm, coming out of a storm, or getting ready to enter another storm in life.

​In I Peter, the Lord promised us that storms would be a part of life.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” I Peter 4:12

So, the presence of storms in our lives should not surprise us as Christians. However, much of our lives are consumed with dealing with the stormy times of life. The real question that every Christian must deal with is this—how do you find CALM in the midst of the storm?

I believe the Bible is full of passages that can be our “CALM” in the storms of life. I want to share with you some thoughts the Lord has impressed on me about just that—Finding the “CALM” in the storm.

Here is an overview of those thoughts:

1. Call on the Lord first.
2. Acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good and ultimately for His glory.
3. Lean on Him as He takes you through the storm.
4. Minimize the negatives of the storm and maximize the lessons God has for you in the storm.

CALL — ACKNOWLEDGE — LEAN — MINIMIZE

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​CALM in the Storm Scripture Memory Cards

​This set of Scripture Memory Cards includes 20 5" X 5" square press prints—16 Scripture verses and 4 strategies that will help you find the CALM in your storm:

1. Call on the Lord first.
2. Acknowledge that God allowed this.
3. Lean on Him through the storm.
4. Minimize the negatives and maximize the lessons.

​
​This set will make a great gift, especially for someone going through one of life's storms! 

They are available here in our Etsy shop. Use code SAVE50 at checkout for 50% OFF your entire order. FREE SHIPPING on orders $35 or more, otherwise, shipping is just $2.00, as always! 

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Call on the Lord First

Let’s begin with what I believe to be a foundational truth for each of us as we look for the “CALM” in the storm--Call on the Lord first!

Sadly, as twenty-first century believers, we so quickly overlook this very important resource in the storms of life. We run to Social Media to ask others to pray for us (which is a blessing, don’t get me wrong), but many times we are asking others to do for us what we have yet to do for ourselves.

I believe that we will more easily find the “CALM” in the storm if we will personally begin by crying out to the One Who has the ability to do something about the storm. 

There are several passages that remind us of this truth. Below are just a few that have been a comfort, and even a conviction, to me concerning calling on the Lord first.

"Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3

"As for me, I will call upon God; And the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: And He shall hear my voice." Psalm 55:16-17

"Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee: For Thou wilt answer me." Psalm 86:6-7 

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

These passages, and many others like them, speak for themselves. Our God wants us to call on Him when we are in the storms of life. The question is, do you see prayer as the first resource or the last resort when the winds of life whip up around you? “CALM” in the storm must begin with calling on the Lord first!

Acknowledge That God Allowed This

As we continue with this idea of finding “CALM” in the storm, let us consider another truth—Finding “CALM” in the storm requires you to acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good AND for His glory. This truth can be a tough one to get your arms around at times. There are a few parts to this statement that we need to consider as we seek “CALM” in the storm.

First, we have to acknowledge that God allowed this storm. There is so much talk in our society about the “bad” things that are happening all around us and to us. Granted, the world is full of evil that all traces back to the original sin of Adam and Eve. But Scripture supports the truth that not all “bad” things, as we would call them, are allowed in our lives as punishment. 

​The Psalmist writes:

“I know, O LORD, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” Psalm 119:75

If the storms of life are all bad for us, this verse is contradictory because the Psalmist saw the affliction in his life as the Lord’s demonstration of His faithfulness. 

Secondly, we must acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good. Admittedly, none of us would volunteer for a storm in our lives, but God sometimes brings those storms in our lives to show us how good He is. ​

Again, the Psalmist states:

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

I often go to this verse to remind myself that everything the Lord sends my way is good for me because He promises not to withhold good from those who are seeking to walk with Him. That leads to the conclusion that the storm in my life must be for my good!

Lastly, we must acknowledge that God allowed this storm for your good AND for His glory. As believers, we must realize that God’s ultimate purpose in creating us was to bring glory to Himself. ​

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:11

So, even in the storm, we must seek to give Him glory for what He is doing in our lives.

The storms of life should help us see His working in us if we are seeking to see it. Sometimes it is necessary to follow the Psalmist’s admonition in Psalm 46.

“Be still and know that He is God.” Psalm 46:10

He is in control, and not only in control, but He is working His master plan that is for your good and ultimately for His glory. How are you doing so far at finding “CALM” in your storm? ​

Lean on Him Through the Storm

The third truth to help find the “CALM” in the storm is this—we must lean on Him in the midst of the storm. Storms bring with them fierce winds that would seek to blow us off course. We need to look for something or someone to hold on to while we weather the gale force winds and the driving rain.

Scripture is clear that there isn’t anything or anyone more dependable to lean on and hold to in the storms of life than the Lord Jesus Christ. Oftentimes in the midst of the storm, I find myself trying to figure out how to work out the problem on my own. I seek my own wisdom in how to handle the problem, but that is not the right way to face the winds of the storm.

​Proverbs 3:5-6 clearly tell us how to face the winds of the storm.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

My leaning must be on the Lord and not on my own understanding. He desires to help me in the midst of the storm. In fact, the Psalmist makes this clear in Psalm 61.

“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a Strong Tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings. Selah.” Psalm 61:1-4

Leaning on the Lord in the storm is His desire. The Psalmist is crying out to the Lord here “from the ends of the earth” with an overwhelmed heart. Christ promises to be our rock, shelter, strong tower, tabernacle, and much more. He wants us to come to Him and lean on His strength in the storm.

The storms are so much more overwhelming when we try to face the winds on our own. Trying to sort the problems on our own only produces fear and frustration. That is the exact opposite of what God wants for us. He desires for us to trust Him knowing that He is in control of the storm.

​This trust will fill our hearts and produce mature, complete love which leaves no room for fear in our hearts even in the midst of a storm (1 John 4:18).

​It is interesting to note that the Psalmist often couples this idea of leaning on the Lord with times of prayer. The two go hand in hand. Why not just trust Him in the midst of your storm? ​

​Read what the Psalmist writes in Psalm 62:

“Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalm 62:8

God’s Word never tells us to fix the storm. It just points us to call on Him, trust Him, and lean on Him as He takes us through the storm. Will you lean on the Lord as He leads you to the “CALM” in your storm today?

Minimize the Negatives and Maximize the Lessons

Finally, “CALM” in the storm can be found by minimizing the negatives of the storm and maximizing the lesson learned through the storm. There have been times in my life that I have faced a storm and reacted in a very negative way. I spent my time asking why and being bitter that life is not fair.

​There is no “CALM” in a storm when we focus on the negatives and all that we don’t like about it. No one is volunteering to go through stormy times in life, but I believe that Bible clearly speaks of so much good that is meant for us in the storm if we will only recognize that good and focus on it.

​When I was in college, my grandmother passed away. I was devastated. She was one of my favorite people in the whole world. At the time of her death, I had been reading and studying Psalm 119 in my personal devotions. It felt like the winds and waves on the sea of life had really kicked up, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to weather this storm. 

​The Lord showed me a wonderful truth in Psalm 119:

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.” ​Psalm 119:71

I remember lying on my bed in my dorm room crying and thinking, “How can this affliction be good for me?” It was in the days and weeks that followed that I began to see the Lord work in my heart and teach me in the midst of this storm. I still hurt at the loss of someone very dear to me, but the Lord began to teach me about His peace and about His all-sufficient grace in my life. He brought a storm to my life that forced me to look to Him. That is what the storms of life should do for us. They should direct us to the loving, caring Heavenly Father who desires to teach us in the midst of these storms. 

​Psalm 119 also reminds us of His goodness in our lives.

“Thou art good, and doest good; teach me Thy statutes.” ​Psalm 119:68

The storms of life are good for us, and He desires to teach us in the midst of those storms. If we miss the lesson He has for us in the storm, how can we do what He has called us to do effectively? Sometimes the storms accent our weakness so that He can manifest His strength in our lives. 

​Paul put it this way in II Corinthians:

“And He [Christ] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” ​II Cor. 12:9-10

God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient for the storm. He never gives us more or less grace than we need for the storms of today. We don’t have to store up the grace for another day. He gives us exactly what we need for that day, and then He magnifies Himself in our weakness if we will let Him.

​Paul was able to say that he could glory in the storms of life because it pointed others to God’s grace and strength in those storms. What is your focus in the storm? Is it the negatives of all that has happened to you? Or, have you seen the lesson(s) that the Lord is trying to teach you in your weakness in the midst of the storm? It is a conscious choice to trust God and focus on that which He is trying to teach us.

​Psalm 118:24 illustrates this choice: ​​

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” ​​Psalm 118:24

Will you rejoice in the storm by maximizing the lessons that the Lord wants to teach you today?

The thunderstorm in Peterborough passed, the water receded from the roads, and things returned to normal. Unfortunately, storms in life and their effects don’t always pass so quickly. Finding “CALM” in the storm doesn’t mean that there will be a sudden end to the storm. It just means that you will be able to weather the storm with God’s grace and His strength. He will bring you through. He promises to never, ever leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Will you trust Him today and find “CALM” in the midst of your storm?

How do you find calm in the storm?

1. Call on the Lord first
2. Acknowledge that God allowed this
3. Lean on Him through the storm
4. Minimize the negatives and maximize the lessons