I’m a handwringer at heart. I’ve been known to even worry that I have nothing to worry about! Pretty silly, huh?

I believe that worry/anxiety lies at the root of most diseases, both physical and psychological. According to the Bible, worry/anxiety is caused by none other than unbelief.

This is beautifully illustrated in the following New Testament story from Matthew 8:23-27: 

“When He (Jesus) got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, a violent storm developed on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, ‘What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’”

There they were, sharing their boat with the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, and they panicked anyway. Even though no one ever perished in the Presence of the Author of life, they cried, “we are perishing.”

Sound familiar?

Changing Boats

When we said “Yes” to the Gospel and were born again, we effectively abandoned the “rickety boat” of our own lives, and boarded God’s “ship of state.”

Whether we realized it or not at first, we began to recognize that we were under new and far more competent management. The captain of our soul was now at the helm, and we needed to trust Him all the way.

This gives us a picture of two key theological terms: (1) Salvation — when we boarded God’s “boat” by faith in the first place; and, (2) Sanctification — as we learn to live our lives in tune with our new captain.

Seeing Storms

It takes practice to see past the visible realm into the invisible realm of existence. Our physical senses scream one thing, and our faith in Christ whispers another.

Which voice will you choose to believe? It is the goal of our sanctification to ignore the howling tempest and strain to believe the “still small voice” within us.

As written in John 10:26-28:

“My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

There are at least two kinds of storms we are bound to encounter in life:

Storms of soul: From within, internal.

These range from a faint background noise of unrest to a deafening roar of inner chaos. The Old Testament patriarch Job encountered such soul storms in successive waves, as explained in Job 3:25-26:

“For what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread encounters me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

And then there are:

Storms of circumstance: From outside, external.

The Apostle Paul and his fellow ministers were beset by such storms for their entire ministries, as noted in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12:

“… we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

Storms Go with the Territory

So, what kind of storms are you experiencing right now? Health issues, money troubles, strained relationships, broken friendships, inner turmoil, fear, anxiety, etc.

The Apostle Peter warned in 1 Peter 4:12-13: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.”

Why? Because God is with you always.

How About You?

Listen to these words — from Psalm 23:2-4 — as if they are whispered into your ears from God’s lips: “He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

You are NEVER alone.