Faith In The Storm
2020, one-star rating, would not recommend – this was the inscription on a t-shirt I recently saw someone wearing. As humorous as that may sound, I believe we all carry a similar sentiment to not recommend a do-over for this year. If you were to describe this year in one word, what would it be for you? I am certain there would be a plethora of unfavorable answers to this one question.
Whatever your answer may be, may I encourage you to present it to the Lord in prayer; not just internalizing and worrying about it, but voicing it out to God. There is no doubt, this has been a stormy year. And who is more than able to calm your storm than our Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 8:22-26 gives us a good picture of the sovereignty of our God. Verse 24b reads, “He got up (from his sleep), and rebuked the wind and the raging water; the storm subsided, and all was calm.” Notice that the disciples encountered and experienced the squall to the point that their lives were in great danger. Also notice that Jesus, the all-knowing God, allowed His disciples to bear the storm, testing their faith, before the calm.
Beloved, you and I are experiencing a global storm, and perhaps our faith is being tested. Let us not permit this current storm to define who we are in Christ; let it not define us, rather let our faith in Christ define us. It is our faith and our hope in Christ that the world seeks after. In our ‘Rooted – A Walk Through Habakkuk’ series, we are reminded in Habakkuk 2:4b: “But the righteous one will live by his faith.” Through this storm, and what is yet to come, one thing I know – we serve a living, sovereign God who is still in control and is still working, even when we don’t feel or see it.
The song, Amadeo (Still My God), by Ryan Stevenson has become one of my all-time favorites. I want to leave you with a portion of the lyrics –
The questions keep us in the fight
The answer's never black or white
We may not know until the other side
But even in this in-between
We fix our eyes on what's unseen
The shadows never overcome the light
No matter what's in my way
I know that You won't ever change
You are still my God
You're still my rock
My only hope Lord, You're all I've got
In every valley or mountaintop
I'll say hallelujah
You're still my God
Until He calms the storm, remember that God is in it with us. Stay firm, keep the faith, for our deliverance will certainly come!
By George Donkor
George and his wife, Christiana, are proud parents of Annajoy and Elijah. Immanuel has been home for them since 2006, where they serve in the iKidz Ministry and are members of the Connect group.
Whatever your answer may be, may I encourage you to present it to the Lord in prayer; not just internalizing and worrying about it, but voicing it out to God. There is no doubt, this has been a stormy year. And who is more than able to calm your storm than our Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 8:22-26 gives us a good picture of the sovereignty of our God. Verse 24b reads, “He got up (from his sleep), and rebuked the wind and the raging water; the storm subsided, and all was calm.” Notice that the disciples encountered and experienced the squall to the point that their lives were in great danger. Also notice that Jesus, the all-knowing God, allowed His disciples to bear the storm, testing their faith, before the calm.
Beloved, you and I are experiencing a global storm, and perhaps our faith is being tested. Let us not permit this current storm to define who we are in Christ; let it not define us, rather let our faith in Christ define us. It is our faith and our hope in Christ that the world seeks after. In our ‘Rooted – A Walk Through Habakkuk’ series, we are reminded in Habakkuk 2:4b: “But the righteous one will live by his faith.” Through this storm, and what is yet to come, one thing I know – we serve a living, sovereign God who is still in control and is still working, even when we don’t feel or see it.
The song, Amadeo (Still My God), by Ryan Stevenson has become one of my all-time favorites. I want to leave you with a portion of the lyrics –
The questions keep us in the fight
The answer's never black or white
We may not know until the other side
But even in this in-between
We fix our eyes on what's unseen
The shadows never overcome the light
No matter what's in my way
I know that You won't ever change
You are still my God
You're still my rock
My only hope Lord, You're all I've got
In every valley or mountaintop
I'll say hallelujah
You're still my God
Until He calms the storm, remember that God is in it with us. Stay firm, keep the faith, for our deliverance will certainly come!
By George Donkor
George and his wife, Christiana, are proud parents of Annajoy and Elijah. Immanuel has been home for them since 2006, where they serve in the iKidz Ministry and are members of the Connect group.
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2021
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