By Joseph Perry

Everyone has to face a storm in their life sometimes. There are times when storms come and we can’t sense or feel the presence of God. When those times come, we can act and function as though we don’t know God. Storms can be very frightening. Storms can cause you to lose everything you have. It can cause you to lose your positioning; it can cause you to lose your mind.

Jesus is seen in these passages of Scripture getting up early in the morning to pray. He prays for His disciples, as He also prays for us, because we all will encounter storms. We need to be praying for each other.

In Matthew 14:22-34, the disciples were being obedient to the voice of the Lord. He told them to go to the other side in their boat. As they traveled to the other side, they struggled at one point in the midst of their storm.

Even in the midst of your obedience to the voice of the Lord, there are still going to be storms and situations that may seem unbearable. Although the waters were rough, the boat still got them across the river, in the storm. Sometimes you just need to ride out your storm in your boat, and the Lord will see you through.

Don’t allow the dark, uncertain moments of your storm to make you do something that the Lord has not instructed you to do. We get so afraid of what’s happening, sometimes we make premature moves. Sometimes we act out of fear.

Your faith in the Lord will sustain you to walk on the water in your storm. Your level of faith will take you out of the boat to experience a higher level of work for the Lord, and see things that others may never see or experience. The things you go through on that level may seem like a more intense storm, but keep your eyes on the Lord.

Remember, as long as the Lord is with you in your storm, it doesn’t matter how difficult it may get for you, whether it’s a storm in your family or on your job. Maybe you have a storm going on in your church. Know that your Heavenly Father knows how to calm your storms; you just have to remain calm. You just keep your composure. With the Lord, you’re going to make it in any storm; it’s just your test.

The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Perry is pastor of St. Mark AME Zion Church. Contact him at josephp134@gmail.com.