God’s Purpose for the Storms of Life
The sky opened wide this afternoon, and raindrops the size of marbles splashed in tiny pools upon our faces. We ran through the forest as thunder growled, surprised that the canopy overhead did so little to protect us from the rain. I had no way of knowing that the afternoon thundershower was about to be a reminder of God’s purpose for the storms of life.
God’s Purpose for the Storms of Life
As the dusty trail turned slick with mud beneath our feet, my son’s laughter was drowned out by the roar of falling sky meeting leaves and earth.
We reached the truck saturated and mud-covered up to our knees, the hard parts of the day washed away with heaven’s healing waters.
Perhaps the storm was a metaphor for life. What we call storms of adversity, God wants to use to wash away the unnecessary weight we carry.
Are you facing a storm in your life today?
Maybe you’re dealing with a troubling situation within your family, difficulty at work, a challenging marriage, or a debilitating diagnosis. You might be feeling worn down by a relational conflict or exhausted from trying to operate beneath a dark cloud of grief.
The Storms of Life
The storms of life take on various forms, and it’s easy to lose heart in the storms.
If you are facing a storm today, here are four of God’s purposes for the storms of life. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you endure the storms of life.
1. The storms of life help us become more mature.
Maturity is developed through experience.
Most of us would prefer to develop maturity without enduring hard things. However, maturity is developed when life is difficult.
I have learned this through personal experience.
I have endured 27 months of illness so severe that I struggled to leave the couch or leave home. Throughout the painful illness, I begged God to take away the sickness. While my prayer seemed to go unanswered, the illness helped me to grow in maturity far more than the healthy seasons of my life. It changed me.
God used the suffering to soften me, deepen me, and expand my capacity for love. He showed me what matters most in life and transformed my heart through the anguish.
Your storm will help you grow in maturity, too.
This maturity will be used to fulfill God’s perfect will for your life. He is using this storm to sculpt you in a way no easy stretch of life ever could.
2. God uses storms to mold us to Jesus’ image.
When I emerged from my illness, I was a different person.
I saw the world through a new lens of gratitude.
I was immensely thankful for the opportunity to share God’s love with the world, and simple tasks like walking to the mailbox felt like God’s gifts.
God used the illness to shape me to look more like Jesus. I had more compassion and empathy. The illness had softened my rough edges.
God will use your storm to transform you into the image of Jesus—if you will keep your heart soft and refuse to take offense at him for permitting the storm.
Sadly, when we take offense toward God, the growth we might have experienced is often lost. The key to transformation is to keep pressing into God. Ask him to help you trust him.
He will shape you to the image of his Son. When you look more like Jesus, you will look more like Love. Your magnification of Love is what will change the world and fulfill your life’s purpose.
3. The storms of life help us know God more intimately.
Your storm is an opportunity to encounter God as your Comforter.
Often, when the storms of life come, other people don’t understand or aren’t able to provide the depth of comfort we need. Only God is able to offer perfect comfort and consolation.
Draw near to him in this storm.
Every morning before you get out of bed—and every night before you fall asleep—imagine his arms around you as you lie in bed and let him hold you. Rest in this place. Let him sing over you and pour his love into you. He is waiting, and he will comfort you as a mother comforts her child.
4. The storms of life teach us about hope.
Lastly, the storms of life teach us where we find our hope.
The storms teach us that circumstantial hope is fleeting. It will only let us down when our circumstances are disappointing.
Only the Living God—who has promised never to leave us—can offer hope that doesn’t disappoint. Let this storm teach you to put your hope in Jesus’ presence with you. He is with you right in the middle of this storm, and even if this storm doesn’t relent any time soon, he has promised never to leave you (Deut. 31:6).
Only the Living God—who has promised never to leave us—can offer hope that doesn’t disappoint. #hope #hopeinJesus #LivingHope Share on XCalling all parents (and grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Endure Life’s Storms
Hope for Hard Days is my free 10-day online devotional to help you hold onto hope when life is tough. You will find 10 readings to help you connect with God and claim his peace. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox today for free with promo code HOPE.
