Storms are beautiful!

Am sure you beheld the title of today's post with disbelief and you may have asked yourself how can storms be beautiful? Before you think long about it, imagine yourself in a boat, tossed to and fro, heart beating wild, adrenaline surging through your veins as you hear the sound of wild winds, throwing every unsecured item here and there, as a wall of water rises, rises, far above your head, your eyes tracking the movement upwards and in a moment of absolute silence, you can hear a pin drop, then hearts gripping in fear as the wall comes crashing but you shout out " Jesus help" and someone throws you a lifeline that secures you to the boat. You did not go over, but the lifeline held you secure till the storm blows away, whew, that was close! Taking a deep breathe, you smell air so fresh, more fresh than  newly baked bread from the oven, the gentle breeze and the slow rocking of the boat as the heavens open up and down comes upon you rain, that refreshes and sweeps away all the dirt that littered about. That moment of peace that you cannot bottle up but basks in, is beautiful!

It is a sure fact that storms of life will come but what is your lifeline in that storm? What do you hold onto? Is it possible to outrun a storm?, maybe, but only one thing is needed in such situations. That is, knowing with absolute fact that God is greater, mightier and more powerful than that storm. Call upon the name of Jesus like the disciples did in the bible and let Jesus say "Peace be still". Let the storms of life redirect your life into God's plan and purposes, let the storm wash away everything that prevents you from fully committing to God, let the storm reveal the rotten foundation that needs to be rebuilt. God has promised beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Him who promised is ever faithful and never failing, hold on your miracle is a step away! I know because I just got mine. Glory be to God. Can you join me in worship with the song below?

{Unchanging God by Sinach}

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by." Psalm 57:1


Safety and Storms

“I was disappointed to learn it was a Christian event.”

                                                                                                                     by Paul C. Johnson

I was raised in a loving but non-religious home. My mother was raised going to church. But, my father’s father didn’t attend. Therefore, my father didn’t attend and our family slept in on Sunday mornings.
We thought our neighbors who went to church were wasting their time. Religion was for losers.

When I went to college, I took a Western religion course to round out my humanities studies. The professor confirmed my mistrust of the Bible. He taught us that the Bible was good literature, like Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, but it was outdated and irrelevant to today’s world.

In my mid 20’s, the family business was doing well and I was making far more income as a partner than I had expected. Sue, my wife, and I were happily married. We met all the world’s standards of success but I wasn’t satisfied. There was emptiness in my life and I had no clue how to fill it.

Two years into our marriage we accepted an invitation to an elegant business banquet. When we arrived, I was disappointed to learn it was a Christian event. I decided to stay and see what it was all about only because the meeting was populated with top leaders from my community. That night I heard the gospel message for the first time in my life. The “safe” setting of a business event hosted by my professional peers was disarming.
That night, a Boston entrepreneur spoke about his story of faith. To my surprise, I was interested in the topic for the first time in my life. Checking a box on a comment card, I indicated that I wanted to learn more about a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. That step alone would have been inconceivable just 3 hours earlier!
My wife, Sue, had a different reaction. The man’s message and the prayer to receive Christ that night reminded her of a youth retreat she attended 8 years earlier. Sue had committed her life to Christ at that retreat but had never grown in her faith. At the dinner, she immediately resolved to follow Christ and began reading her Bible the very next day.

A week later, I received a phone call from a man who had been at the dinner. He invited me to meet with him and another man who had been at that dinner to discuss what we thought about the message we had heard that evening. The aim of this follow-up appointment was to challenge us to take the next step in our spiritual journey in life. Once again, to my surprise, I agreed to take that step.

Soon after, we began participating in a Bible discussion group. I was shocked to find that this ancient book was not a bunch of outdated fables but that it was relevant to my current situation.

God added a little drama to our story and finally got my full attention a short time later, through a storm in the middle of the night.
Sue and I were alone on a small sailboat in Long Island Sound. A harsh storm came on that night. At 1:30 am I realized my grip on life wasn’t nearly as strong as I thought. I was helpless and I couldn’t do a thing to save myself. I needed a Savior.

Hours later, safe and dry in the living room of the couple with whom we were studying the Bible, I accepted God’s provision of forgiveness and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.
The truth is, I was a selfish, prideful man whose illusion of being in control of my life had been washed away in that storm. The message that Jesus’ love provided full payment for my sin – past, present and future – coupled with the genuine caring I had encountered from these Christians, led me to yield control of my life over to Christ.

The emptiness that used to plague me has been replaced by a wonderful new purpose. We now live our lives of gratitude to God by sharing Christ’s love with working professionals in the United States and in Eastern Europe.


I was privileged to get to know and participate in activities of Campus Crusade for Christ international while in college. The above testimony was shared on their website: www.cru.org

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"
                                                                                                        Philippians 4:17