Have you ever had a storm? Ever felt the wind blow in your life? Maybe you’ve had a little gust here or there. Maybe your home (your life) has been destroyed by a storm. If you stay on this Earth long enough, chances are you’ll face storms! I was talking with my friend Laura recently. She has experience with those “storms of life”. One of hers even came in the form of a literal storm, when her home was destroyed by a tornado in 2021. Laura’s biggest storm of life was losing her husband, Scott, in 2010 after a long battle with cancer. Through it all Laura has remained rooted in the Word and committed to her relationship with our loving Heavenly Father and she shares how He has remained faithful to her in her times of waiting. Laura’s life verse is Nehemiah 8:10 because she knows the Lord has given her the strength to smile through it all!
I want to share some of our conversation with you all! We were discussing the story in Mark 4 where Jesus was sleeping in the boat during a storm. Take the time to read it if you haven’t! This brought to Laura’s mind a memory from her journey with Scott. Laura told me that Scott spent four months in the ICU. Laura documented their journey through pictures of both she and Scott, as well as pictures of the hospital. This extended ICU stay gave Laura a lot of time sitting in the waiting room doing just that, waiting. She spent much of this time seeking the Lord. She prayed and studied the word constantly. Visitors would come and go, but, more often than not, Laura found herself waiting alone. Some days the loneliness was more imposing than others. Laura felt as if the world around her was moving at a normal pace while her own world was at a standstill. Have you ever been through a time like that?
On a particularly trying day, Laura was pouring her heart out to the Lord. She busied her hands with uploading pictures to her computer, but her mind was elsewhere. She was praying to God “Please help me God, I feel so discouraged. I’m alone in this! Scott and I have moved when you said move, preached when you said preach. We’ve dedicated our lives to you! Why are we all alone in this hospital?”. About that time she scrolled by a picture she had taken weeks prior. When she took the picture, nothing stood out to her. But in this moment the voice of God was speaking to her, loud and clear, through the picture. The picture was of a sign at the hospital. It directed all who passed by to that little room Laura had spent so much time in. The sign read “ICU Waiting”. And in that moment of pain and struggle the Lord spoke to Laura sweetly saying “I see you waiting. Through the questions, through the waiting, through the loneliness, through it all. I see you waiting.”
During the time a verse from Isaiah was brought to Laura’s heart. Isaiah 26:3 says You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts You. The Lord was able to bring this verse to Laura’s mind because she had read it and meditated on it. This is why it’s so important to hide the word in your heart like we read about in Psalms 119:11! The Lord also brought Laura scripture other ways through friends! Laura had a friend who sent her Psalms 20:7 which says “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
When you’re going through a storm of life it’s important to study and speak out scripture. Go to Psalms and find some to read out loud daily like Psalms 23 or Psalms 91. Hearing yourself speak these words will build your peace! I want to remind you today that peace isn’t just a feeling you have when your life is in order. It’s a person. Jesus Christ. Call on Him in prayer and reading the word and allow Him to comfort you with a peace that passes all understanding!
Maybe you’re in a season of waiting right now. Be reminded that God is in the waiting with you. While you wait, praise. While you wait, pray. While you wait, search the Word for revelation. Remember Hebrews 12:2 “looking until Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus is the author and finisher of YOUR faith! John 16:33 “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” He has overcome the world and made you more than a conqueror. You can put all your faith in Him!
Remember, He sees you in the waiting. He’s with you while you wait! I am praying for a renewed strength while you wait. I’m praying you’ll be encouraged to seek God more in the waiting! I’m praying for fresh fire and fresh revelation every time you open your Bible! We love you and our doors and hearts are always open if you would like prayer!
