What if the Point is Deeper?

The storms come.  They do, and they aren't fun.  If this world is comfortable, easy, and painless then I beg you to look and see if you have truly picked up your cross and are following in the steps of our humble Savior.  His Word tells us that if we are truly His disciples that there will be storms.  There will be struggles.  There will be persecution.


In Mark 10 Peter speaks up, surprise surprise, and says, "We've given up everything to follow you."  Jesus replied, "Yes, and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property - ALONG WITH PERSECUTION.  Mark 10:28-30


It's not a matter of IF the storms will come, it's a matter of when.  They are going to come.  There are going to be times that are hard.  I pray that when the storms do come that our foundation will be the rock of Christ.  He can't be shaken.  He has overcome the world, and I have Him living inside of me!  There is nothing more incredible and reassuring than that!


So when the storms come how will I react?  Will I choose to run to the arms of my heavenly Father and know that He is holding me close or will I choose to question how He could ever let bad things happen to me?


I'm starting to learn that there is no reason for me to be impatient with God.  He is God.  Who am I to question His timing?  When bad things happen and when we go through the storms we have to remember that He has the power.  I know that my God has the power to calm the storms.  I read about my Jesus calming the storms.  I know that He has the power.  I know that He can do it.  I know that He can fix anything that is causing me pain, but what if the point is so much deeper than that?  I know He can fix it.  He knows He can fix it.  But what if the point of the storm is so much deeper than just surviving the storm?  What if the point is learning to know Him more?  What if the point is learning to trust Him more?  What if the point is learning to enjoy Him more?  What if the point is learning to surrender more to Him?  What if the point is learning to hunger for Him more?  What if the point is learning to love Him more?  What if the point of the storm is so much deeper?


When I look back over some of the storms I have been through I am amazed at how He delivered me in His timing.  I remember the first six months after moving to Little Rock being incredibly hard.  I was in the middle of a huge storm and I didn't know how to calm it or make it stop.  At the beginning of the storm I was impatient with God and wanted the storm to be over right away, but it wasn't that easy.  The storm drug on.  But as the waves and wind would hit me and I would fall, I quickly found that staying on my face crying out in prayer to my God was the best place to be.  The storm stunk.  It really did, and I would never want to relive that storm.  But I would never want to take it away either.  That storm taught me so much.  That storm grew me so much.  For the first time in my life I would lock myself in my office and  spend hours on my face crying out to God.  For the first time in my life I couldn't get enough of His Word.  He was my strength.  I was clinging to Him.  The point of the storm was so much deeper than what I saw.  I was learning to know Him more.  I was learning to trust Him more.  I was learning to enjoy Him more.  I was learning to surrender to Him more.  I was learning to hunger for Him more.  I was learning to love Him more.


The storms will come.  This whole pick up your cross and follow after me thing was never meant to be easy or comfortable.  But I take comfort knowing that when the storms do come that my God can and will use what satan intends for evil to bring good.  He will deliver us.  He is faithful.  His timing is perfect.  His power is limitless.  It's not that He can't calm the storm, He definitely can.  But what if He knows that the storm is going to draw you closer to Him?  What if the purpose of the storm is so much greater than just surviving the storm?


This reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Ginny Owens:
The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to 

Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley If You want me to




I pray that when the storms come we will hold tight.  We will trust more.  We will hunger more.  We will surrender more.  We will know Him more.  We will love Him more.  May we be able to see that sometimes the point of the storm is so much deeper than just surviving the storm.