The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other.  Mark 4:41

“God wants me to be happy, so why is this happening!” “I’ve tried to obey the Lord, but everything is going wrong!” “I’ve prayed about this issue, and it’s still there. Doesn’t God care?” The disciples may have been asking the same questions we ask when their storm hit. Since God controls the weather, He could have kept the storm from forming in the first place. He knew they were out in the middle of the sea. He knew they’d be scared to death. But He let it happen anyway because their storm had a purpose. It was this storm that shattered their illusions about Jesus and forced them to discover who He really is. They’d watched His miracles, benefited from His blessings, but only the storm caused them to ask, “Who is this?”

Because God is invisible and His word can be hard to understand at first, we tend to form our own ideas about who He is.

TV Christianity can cause us to worship a different God altogether. The popular God is a cosmic Santa who trades goodies for a prayer or a donation and hopes we’ll nod in His direction some time. Even Christians can form a wrong idea of God and enter into a business deal where we trade good deeds for His approval. So He sends a storm. He could have stopped it. He knows we’ll be scared to death. But He lets it happen anyway because our storms have a purpose. They shatter our illusions about God and force us to discover who He really is. We love blessings and marvel at miracles, but the storms cause us to seek Him.  

Final Thought:  Storms either drive us from God or help us learn who He is. Which direction have your storms taken you?

Prayer: Lord God, I have let storms of the past drive me from you. I got bitter and angry because you weren’t living up to the image I had of you. I’m willing to let that shatter and learn who you really are. You’re far better than my imagination. Amen.