I have several friends who are currently walking through their own storms at this very moment. I have pleaded with God to take away their suffering and have asked Him to calm the storm in an instant…He hasn’t yet, but I continue to pray.
As I pray, I become more attune to what He is doing in the situation. Have you experienced this? Maybe you start by pleading for someone’s suffering to lift…but then in the middle of it, you start to see the growth in that person. You see the depth of their faith, you wonder how they are so strong in the Lord after all this suffering. But all the while, God is shaping them, molding them.
This is when believers find themselves in the “wind and waves” of this life. The storms, the trials, the tests.
I stopped and took note of Pastor Jason’s point on Sunday about what happens in these storms:
“Jesus disciples us through difficult situations.
These difficult situations reveal what is really there.”
Like a little tea bag that holds the tea leaves inside of it…on the surface you wouldn’t even know what is in there. But when the hot water hits, the tea comes out.
It makes you wonder…what comes out of us when the “hot water” of life hits? Where do we turn for comfort in the chaos of the wind and waves?
Pastor Jason candidly spoke of what he feels like doing after a long day of work and ministry…sitting on the couch! How I could relate. I often want to isolate, not talk to anyone, watch my comfort shows, or simply just sleep!
But here we see Jesus…going away to pray. To be with the Father. Prayer is His “safe space”….His sacred security.
I wonder what would happen if we all stopped turning from our coping mechanisms and turned to prayer instead…what would life be like? How much stronger and deeper would our faith actually be?
Pastor Jason pointed out that these times of trial are not always the work of the enemy…but at times, they are for our testing — for our development. He said it this way:
“(This storm) was not demonic, it was developmental.”
Developmental. It is hard to think of storms in this way. Because when you’re in the throws of it, like my friends who are facing immense pain — physically and emotionally — the last thing on your mind is “growth.” But it is on God’s mind. He is always looking to “develop” us and “disciple” us into people who look more and more like Jesus.
As we are broken, and molded, and developed and discipled…what comes out of it might just surprise us. A deeper faith, a stronger foundation, an assurance that when the next storm comes…we can face it with courage and might.
Who knows how your trial today will prepare you for what is to come? And I don’t say this to scare you, but to strengthen you. In the testing, He is also strengthening us.
This is one of my favorite passages to send to close friends who are walking through tough trials, because there is incredible hope in what is happening here. This is where the deep shift happens to our internal life —where the Christian walk gets especially good.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen, you.”
1 Peter 5:10 (RSV)
As I pray, I become more attune to what He is doing in the situation. Have you experienced this? Maybe you start by pleading for someone’s suffering to lift…but then in the middle of it, you start to see the growth in that person. You see the depth of their faith, you wonder how they are so strong in the Lord after all this suffering. But all the while, God is shaping them, molding them.
This is when believers find themselves in the “wind and waves” of this life. The storms, the trials, the tests.
I stopped and took note of Pastor Jason’s point on Sunday about what happens in these storms:
“Jesus disciples us through difficult situations.
These difficult situations reveal what is really there.”
Like a little tea bag that holds the tea leaves inside of it…on the surface you wouldn’t even know what is in there. But when the hot water hits, the tea comes out.
It makes you wonder…what comes out of us when the “hot water” of life hits? Where do we turn for comfort in the chaos of the wind and waves?
Pastor Jason candidly spoke of what he feels like doing after a long day of work and ministry…sitting on the couch! How I could relate. I often want to isolate, not talk to anyone, watch my comfort shows, or simply just sleep!
But here we see Jesus…going away to pray. To be with the Father. Prayer is His “safe space”….His sacred security.
I wonder what would happen if we all stopped turning from our coping mechanisms and turned to prayer instead…what would life be like? How much stronger and deeper would our faith actually be?
Pastor Jason pointed out that these times of trial are not always the work of the enemy…but at times, they are for our testing — for our development. He said it this way:
“(This storm) was not demonic, it was developmental.”
Developmental. It is hard to think of storms in this way. Because when you’re in the throws of it, like my friends who are facing immense pain — physically and emotionally — the last thing on your mind is “growth.” But it is on God’s mind. He is always looking to “develop” us and “disciple” us into people who look more and more like Jesus.
As we are broken, and molded, and developed and discipled…what comes out of it might just surprise us. A deeper faith, a stronger foundation, an assurance that when the next storm comes…we can face it with courage and might.
Who knows how your trial today will prepare you for what is to come? And I don’t say this to scare you, but to strengthen you. In the testing, He is also strengthening us.
This is one of my favorite passages to send to close friends who are walking through tough trials, because there is incredible hope in what is happening here. This is where the deep shift happens to our internal life —where the Christian walk gets especially good.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen, you.”
1 Peter 5:10 (RSV)
Erika Pizzo
Erika is an author of various books on the topics of faith, mental health, and victory in Christ. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach and a chai latte in hand.