Boundless Gratitude

He Calms My Storms and Brings Me In

My friend’s tameless wild boar of a man-child is not alone in his pursuit of adventure. Others seek God in His grandeur, His sublimity, and all He has to offer humanity with earnestness to follow wherever He leads. They see His works and experience His might firsthand. The cheap seats are not for them. They prefer action over reading about what occurred in an article.

With the adventure comes adversity. Dangers are untold. Discouragement and despair melt away even the most courageous and faithful. Life can be crushing. Tragedy mixed with pain and losses brings suffering until there is no more hope to muster.

Sometimes you and I can be hit by difficulties we didn’t even know were possible. Unexpected storms of colossal proportions arise. We can know God is allowing it, but this knowledge doesn’t make getting safely through to the other side more rudimental. Pulling out all the gadgets and instrumentation to navigate our lives won’t be enough. The individuals the Psalmist writes about had exhausted all resources, and in fact, were at their wit’s end.

These once fierce-hearted believing stalwarts had nothing left. And yet, they were nowhere close to the destination. The storm was still raging. Life remained cyclonic.

That’s when the crew cried out to the Lord. When they couldn’t, for the life of them, stoke the courage needed and find the faith required. The same way God has met the other people who came to the end of themselves, He meets these worn-out souls.

And He delivered them from their distress.

What we learn from the Psalmist is that even in the things we cannot control that take us beyond ourselves, God delivers. He will see us successfully to the other side. We can be thankful for His tenacity to calm our storms and bring us where He desires us to be.

Can you think of any storm-like experiences God has brought you through?

How have you experienced the calming nature of God in your own life?

What are you most grateful for in terms of today’s reading? 

This devotional by Cheri Strange is available at Bible.com. (MCN)