Storms That Still

When life feels overwhelming and everything seems to be happening at once, it’s easy to react with stress, confusion, and urgency.

We must ask ourselves, is there another reaction that we can have?

In this episode of 5 Minutes & Coffee, we look at 1 Corinthians 14:33 and Mark 4:39 to show that God is not the author of confusion—He is the source of peace and power. Just as Jesus spoke calm into the storm, can he do that for you and I?

Jacobs & Associates, CPA, LLC, 
Financial guidance tailored for small businesses and nonprofits. 

Phone: 407-571-6995  Email: Tarsha@jacobs.cpa

Talitha Coffee
Talitha Coffee is on a mission to end human trafficking and empower survivors, one cup at a time.

Logos - Bible Software
Bible Software for deep study.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Hello everybody, welcome to another episode of 5 Minutes in Coffee. My name is Jerry and I am happy to be sharing God's word with you today. Today I want to talk to you about something that I don't believe is necessarily unique to me, and then when I describe the situation, I believe many of you will resonate with it because of how it feels in the moment when this happens. I'm working and I'm trying to be productive and just trying to get things done, but then I get a phone call. This thing has gone wrong. And then I try to tackle this issue, but while I am tackling this issue, I get another phone call, this thing is wrong. And while I'm trying to tackle that issue, I get another phone call, this needs to be done because this thing changed. And it seemed like my entire day was just full of these unfortunate mini events occurring one after another. The best way to describe it is it's one of those days where you were very busy, but you don't feel like you accomplished anything. And when we have these days that are chaotic, that feel crazy, I want to add some perspective to those days so that we do not feel overwhelmed knowing whom we serve. So I'd like to lean on two scriptures. The first is Mark chapter 4, verses 39. Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and said to the waves, Quiet, be still. Then the wind stopped and it became completely calm. Remember what the apostles were acting like before Jesus calmed the storm. And the second scripture is 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 33. God is not the God of confusion, but a God of peace. And if you have not read those verses or you do not understand the scripture, go back and read it. It's a very interesting story, and I think it will give us more perspective than what I'm able to provide within this short devotion. When we have days where it seems like there's one storm after another, and mentally you can't seem to catch a break, it is like a storm where everything is happening, and we are panicking and spinning our wheels and we're trying to figure out what to do. But I think it's also very important that we remember in any storm, God is still there. Just because you feel a wave, just because you cannot grasp your bearings, it does not mean that God is not there. And I think that is the very first thing that I would like to remind you, and what I had to remind myself the Lord is present, the Lord is here, He is not the author of confusion, so let me take a breath and realize in whose hands do I belong. So, yes, when storms come, they are very real. So, yes, when storms come, they are very real. This isn't a devotion to say that storm didn't matter because they do, they can be overwhelming. However, the point is to remember that storms are not apart from God, even if he's not the author of it, he is still bigger than the storm. One of the things we have to be careful of in this human body with our human emotions is to become so overwhelmed that we lose perspective and we lose our God-given peace in order to rectify a situation where only God can say, be still. During this busy day, I had to call my brother and say, Hey, pray for me. This is just one of those days. And he understood immediately what I had to say. I could not do anything about my day, but I know one person who can, so I say to you, when those moments happen, pray. Reach out to someone to pray for you. Because that storm is not bigger than your God. Think about the way Jesus stopped the storm. He didn't give them a bunch of commands to steal the boat, he didn't give them a bunch of commands to run around and do this and do that. He spoke. He spoke from a position of power, not from a position of panic. So, what makes more sense? For me to panic, to control things that I have no control over, or to go to the one who has authority over any storm in my life. I can imagine when Jesus said be still and the storm became still, that would have been for me had I been on that boat to be still, to recognize and to be in awe of God's power. When those storms happen, God speaks from authority, and that is our cue to be still and watch Him work. So while my day was very hectic, as best as I could, my focus was to continue to work and be still, knowing that all of these storms would be taken care of, that God would handle it, and that in the end all would be well. Working with that mindset helped me to get through the rest of my day because when the initial storm happened and I'm not prepared for it, there is a potential to get down on myself, to become frustrated, and to check out. However, recognizing God's presence in my day allows me to be still and to continue the path that I am supposed to be on. So when you are going about your day and that storm hits and it feels chaotic and you don't know what's happening, be still. Go to God in prayer and let his voice tell your storm to be still. And as much as allowing God to calm our storms or being able to endure in a storm, waiting on the Lord to give direction, as much as that message is for each and every one of us individually, if you see someone else in a storm and they are drowning, offer them this reminder. Have you gone to God and can I pray for you? So if you're having a chaotic day, stop and pray. If you see someone having a chaotic day, stop and pray. Think about how many disciples were on that boat and could do nothing with the storm. There was only one. And my reminder is to remember in the storms of this life, there is only one. Give it to him and give it to him fully, not just physically, but also give him everything so that you can operate in peace, knowing that it is already taken care of. If you have found that this episode was encouraging to you in any way, I ask for one thing, just share it with one person. This is Jerry with Five Minutes and Coffee.