Pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Dapto
In a Storm By God’s Gracious Design
Devotionals
In a Storm By God’s Gracious Design
Devotionals

In a Storm By God’s Gracious Design

By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW

And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

John 6:18

I have discovered that when storms arise, it is our tendency to think that we have done something wrong.1 If we have an accident, or the baby is seriously sick, or finances are squeezed, we may assume the Lord is punishing us.

Sometimes God is. The twelfth chapter of Hebrews2 describes how the Lord lovingly chastens His children. In His great Fatherly heart of kindness, He blocks us when we wander away from Him into destructive paths.

But today’s verse describes a fierce storm in which the Lord deliberately placed His disciples.

How do we know? A parallel passage, Matthew 14:22, says, ‘And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. The word ‘constrained’ here carries the thought of a command. Knowing full well that they would collide with a storm, the Master wanted them to be there in order to demonstrate His power.

Matthew ends the story saying, ‘Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.’ 3

Sometimes God’s loved ones experience alarming circumstances. We’re tempted to panic. After asking the Lord to search our hearts to see if there is any wicked way in us4, and confessing any sins He brings to mind, let’s take comfort in knowing that this is a storm He has brought into our lives for our benefit. It is His gracious design that ought to enhance our worship of Him.

Father, thank You for the storms of life in which You teach me more about Yourself. Without them, my personal experience of Your power would be puny. Help me to replace alarm with complete confidence in You, anxiety with absolute trust in You, and panic with fervent prayer to You. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.

  1. See also Job 4:6-7; 8:4, etc. and John 9:2 for examples of assuming others have sinned when they go through storms.
  2. Hebrews 12:5-11
  3. Matthew 14:33
  4. Psalm 139:23-24

This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.