Have you ever felt like you’ve been stuck on the seas without an achor? Tossed around by the wind and the waves of life? Me too.

The questions above sound more like the script to a suspense-driven movie, but can also resemble the way life can feel when we find ourselves in the middle of a storm. When we are exhausted from bracing for the waves that batter us, we can feel defeated – longing for the security and hope of Christ. Chances are, when our lives are tossed around, we can often be tempted to disconnect from community too.

The storms of life can leave us battered and bruised, ready to give up and give in. That’s what storms do – they pour down on us in seasons when we expect them and when we don’t.  It can often feel like we are gasping for air as one wave after another beats down on our hearts.

It’s the diagnosis you didn’t expect.

It’s your position at work that suddenly vanished.

It’s the move you didn’t know was up ahead.

It’s the empty chair at the dinner table that reminds you that someone is missing.

It’s all of these and so much more…

Now that I’ve described the water we’re all swimming in, I want us to figure out how to get back to the security of the shore; the security of having a sure hope and strong support system.

This I know for sure: Our storms don’t take God by surprise.

The storms we encounter are never encountered just by us. No, the One Who still has complete control and authority over the wind and the waves is with us. He’s present and prepared to give us hope right in the middle of what looks bleak and dark. His presence is our peace, and because He is ever-present, and because He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, we don’t have to lose hope or let go of Him. We don’t have to let the storm take hold of uso r disconnect us from those that help keep us steady.

The writer of Hebrews explains to us in chapter 6 the importance of taking hold of the hope set before us. The hope of Jesus, Who has gone before us, running ahead of us, so we could have a hope that anchors our soul in the midst of life and the storms that we face. It’s as if the writer of Hebrews knew that we would move through rough waters in our journey of faith. They knew we would be tempted to just let the wind and the waves overtake us because the storms felt too strong or the waves seemed to never end.

Yeah, it can often feel easier to give way to the storm than to grab the rope and anchor and throw it out in hopes of finding something to hold us still – something to keep us grounded.

What’s the opposite scenario? Finding ourselves disconnected from our anchor, and in many instances, finding oursleves adrift; floating further away from God and the community He’s placed us in.

In the middle of the storms, in the middle of feeling isolated and helpless, we need both Christ & Community.

Christ keeps us anchored, Community keeps us afloat.

God knew the difficulties we would face in a fallen world. He understood that we, as His children, would need something to tether us and help stand firm in the middle of it all.

God knew we would need and anchor for our soul – and He sent us His Son Jesus. He also lovingly provided others for us to traverse the storms with: crew mates and family members in Christ that are in the thick of the storm with us, reminding us of God’s goodness and His promises.

That’s why having our hope anchored in Christ is so vital – so we don’t lose connection and communion with our Father in Heaven. And part of being connected to Christ is remembering the beauty and friendship we find in sharing life with others – so we don’t lose sight of His goodness and presence in the middle of our storms or on the smooth and beautiful seas of life. 

In the middle of it all, we need hold onto Jesus and we need to reach out for others. We are made to hold onto the hope of Christ together.

When we each take turns holding the rope so we could steady our stance in the middle of the storms, we can lean on one another and brace for the battering waves. We can scream and cry and shout all we want – for we are not alone. He is in our midst and doesn’t want us to fret the worst – He wants us to hold onto hope. He wants us to rest secure.

I’m reminded of the discples on the boat with Jesus. While at sea, they were expereinceing a violent storm. In panic, one of the disciples cries out to Jesus, who was asleep. The disciple said, “Don’t you care that we are going to die?” (Mark 4:35-41 CSB)

Jesus was in the exact same boat with them, but His response to the exact same storm was “Peace”.

So often, I am more like the disciple who is shouting for Jesus’ attention in the middle of my storm than the peaceful and secure Jesus Who was very aware and yet still was at peace. God help me, God help us.

We have a choice friends, What will our response be today? Will we remember that we are not alone in the boat as the storms of life try to break us down? Will we trust in the Savior who demonstrated what it’s like to find rest in the middle of the storm because of the connection and anchor He shared?

God is with us in the middle of these storms dear friend. He is with us, and He is here to anchor us and keep us steady. And He’s kind enough to provide a crew of support around us to remind us of His presence and promise of peace.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we choose to place our complete trust in You. We choose to hold onto the hope that is found in Christ Jesus, and rest securely in the promise of Your powerful presence. Thank You for loving us, and for being the hope we can cling to in the middle of life’s storms. Thank you for the reminder that we are not alone – we are able to have peace because You are with us. Thank you Lord for surrounding us with friends and family members to journey with us and remind us of Your promises. Let our response to life’s storms be that of holding onto the hope that only You provide – together. Amen.

Go The Extra Mile:

One of my favorite worship songs is “I Will Trust” by Red Rocks Worship – this song points us back to the security we find when we place our hope and trust in Jesus. Check it out this and I hope you are able to breathe a little easier today, knowing we can completely trust in The Lord.