Please welcome guest blogger Beth Hildebrand today. Beth and I met through the Flourish Writers Community. Beth shares some insights about letting Jesus handle our storms. Please check out the links to her website and social media below along with information about her new book.
There was a time in history when 13 guys were in a boat in a
large lake and a huge storm caught them off guard. Rain came down so hard and
fast, water filled their boat, and the guys couldn’t get it out fast enough.
And one of the guys slept through the boat rocking high and low,
thunder, guys yelling at each other so they could be heard because the wind was
roaring and the rain beating on the boat like a loud drum. Until a few of the
guys hollered at the One sleeping, “Hey! Do you not care that we’re about to
drown?!”
Drown in despair, fear, stress, the worries of this world.
The guy that was sleeping, Jesus, woke up and told the wind and
rain to stop. And they did. This makes me think: Jesus didn’t tell his disciples
to stop worrying. He didn’t tell them to stop questioning him. He didn’t tell
them to stop getting rid of what it was that made them sink.
Instead, he instructed the circumstance to stop. Maybe God
allowed that storm to happen so the guys could see with their own eyes the
reality of who Jesus says he is. God in the form of a man.
Today circumstantial storms unexpectantly dump those same
worries on us and cause us to call out, “Hey! Do you not care that I’m
experiencing right now?!”
He still wants us to holler out to him when we’re
upset. He still wants us to question him when we wonder if he’s really who he
says he is. He still wants us to call out his name asking him to stop what’s
happening.
And he just might respond in a way you least expect it – in a
way you never imagined. It might not be instantly, like he immediately told the
wind and rain to stop, but that was their circumstance. We all have our own;
each situation is different. But God is always the same.
Trustworthy. Teacher. Truth.
If you feel like he’s asleep, call out his Name. Jesus! That
should help calm your storm and then when you least expect it, you'll "be
overwhelmed with awe." (Mark 4:41)
What storms has Jesus helped you through? Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
Is your life experiencing a storm? Call out to Jesus (click to tweet)
Beth
Hildebrand is a writer, blogger, mentor, and leader in her church and
community. She lives in North Carolina
with her husband and has son and daughter in college. She enjoys traveling,
several forms of art, reading, and dancing with friends whenever there’s a
chance. She is the author of a new book titled: The Art of Struggling:
Finding Hope When It Feels Like Your World’s Falling Apart. It’s been rhythmically structured to include
stories of people in the Bible who struggled in their lives physically,
emotionally, or even spiritually, along with examples of how these days we face
the same struggles. Through a collection
of written prayers, a story, reflection questions, Scripture, and an artistic
expression option in each chapter, this book befriends the reader through times
of struggling and how to persevere with hope.
For
details you can find her at www.BethHildebrand.com, on Instagram @bethnhildebrand_author,
and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theartofstruggling.
