You Shall Not Be Moved by Your Storm

Are you going through a storm right now? If so, I want to encourage you today.

I’ve been going through a storm for awhile now in various ways. The specific aspects of the storm don’t matter; that’s not what this is about. But suffice it to say, it has been rough … for awhile.

But here’s what I’m learning in the middle of the storm:

The peace that Jesus brings is stronger than the storm.

Look at Mark 4:39-41:

“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:39-41 NKJV).

When Jesus spoke “Peace, be still,” the wind and the waves obeyed Him. The Bible does not say that the dark clouds suddenly dissipated or that the sun suddenly shone brightly. It only says that the wind and the sea obeyed His command to be still.

Yes: When Jesus spoke “Peace, be still” to the wind and the sea, the wind and sea obeyed Him–and there was a great calm.

But notice this: the wind and the waves were the only things that needed to be still. They were the only things that were moving the disciples. And Scripture says that the Lord will not allow the righteous to be moved:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22 NKJV).

God’s Word does not, however, promise us that we will never experience things that appear threatening.

Jesus spoke peace to the things that were really moving the disciples, and He did not necessarily address the “merely threatening” things at all.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Jesus told us that in this world we WILL, most definitely and for sure, have tribulation:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).

Additionally, Psalm 23 talks about walking through the valley of the SHADOW of death. That is certainly a threatening feeling, to walk through the valley of the shadow of death! I’m sure we can all identify, having walked through storms that Jesus kept us safe from–but they were still challenging to get through.

So we are not promised a trouble-free life.

But, we are promised that, if we cast our burdens on the Lord, He WILL sustain us–and that we will not be moved.

Let’s look at Psalm 55:22 again:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22 NKJV).

When Jesus spoke “Peace, be still,” and the wind and waves obeyed Him, He brought everything that was moving the disciples to an end. But we don’t know more than that. And in our daily lives, Jesus is still speaking “Peace, be still” to the storm.

This doesn’t mean that the entirety of our challenge goes away. It doesn’t mean that the sky suddenly looks bright and beautiful around us. But it does mean we will feel calm on the inside, and that we will be unmoved by the storm. The storm cannot harm us.

And no matter what we are going through …

Jesus is speaking “Peace, be still” to you and to me right now.

This does not mean He is taking away all things that appear to threaten us. But it does mean that He is taking away the actual threat. He is removing the things that would move us.

Also, it does mean that, at His word (or even at His word that comes out of our own mouths, speaking God’s Word over the storm and commanding it to be still in Jesus’ name), there will be a great calm inside our hearts, such that we will no longer be moved.

In any storm, our goal should be to not only get through it, but to get through it in a godly manner.

My highest desire for this storm is not only for everything to be resolved, but even more importantly:

• To maintain clean hands and a pure heart throughout the storm;
• To stay emotionally, mentally, and spiritually stable throughout the storm;
• To stay kind and sweet to others throughout the storm;
• To stay strong in faith, without wavering; and
• To keep my eyes on Jesus, without ever taking my eyes off Him, no matter how threatening the storm appears to be.

That last point about keeping my eyes on Jesus is the most important one, because sometimes I struggle with self-pity.

I’m sure you don’t struggle with this, but I do, sometimes. Self-pity is a booger, too. You know, those nasty thoughts like:

• “God, why?”
• “Why haven’t You fixed this yet?”
• “Why are You allowing me to go through this at all?”
• “Why do You bring breakthrough for everyone else, but I have to suffer so much?”
• “Why am I constantly persecuted?”
• “Why do You allow people to tell such lies about me, and never discipline them for it?”

(And don’t worry, you don’t need to send me emails “correcting” me for these thoughts. I know that they are wrong and I work hard to cast them down. I work very hard to keep my eyes on Jesus at all times. I’m just being transparent with you about things I struggle with sometimes, and that’s between me and God, thankyouverymuch.)

Yes, I’m sure you never struggle with such thoughts. But they can be a challenge for some of us during times of storm.

The thing is, again:

Jesus never promised that we would not have tribulations. He promised us that we would not be moved by them.

Therefore, I want to encourage you in your storm today. You may be going through some very difficult things today. (Most everybody is!) The sky around you may appear as threatening as can be.

But you know what? Jesus IS your peace in time of storm. He speaks, and the wind and the sea obey Him. (You can even speak His Word out of your own mouth with the same effect.) He can and will bring you to a place, even in the midst of your storm, in which you remain steady and stable, completely unmoved by what you are going through.

Why? Because He IS your peace. He IS your calm. He IS your Shelter and Refuge.

He never promised you a lack of storms. But He does promise you today that, if you will cast your burdens on Him, He will sustain you–and He will not allow you to be MOVED by what you are going through.

Does this word speak to your heart today? If so, leave a comment below.