When things are going right, the family is happy, work is going well, we’re getting good breaks, we know God is in control, He is on the throne, He’s directing our steps. But having faith doesn’t exempt us from difficulties. The storms of life come to every person. Someone walks out of our life, we lose someone to an illness, business slows. In the difficult times it’s easy to ask, God where are you? How could you let this happen to me? We have to keep our faith.

The same God that is in control in the good times is just as in control in the tough times. God will not allow a storm unless He has a Devine purpose for it. We see these storms as negative, but sometimes God will direct the winds of the storm to blow you to where He wants you to go. God knows how to shift the winds so instead of blowing you backwards it blows you forward, where you not only come out better and stronger, but that storm will move you to a place of greater blessing, greater influence.

A lot of people say they have faith but in the tough times they fall apart. Their not going to be happy until the storm is over. We should use our faith to believe that when the winds stop blowing we will be exactly where God wants us to be.

The apostle Paul had been arrested and appealed his case to the emperor. As he was getting on the boat to go to see Caesar he told the captain and crew it’s not a good time to sail, there’s a storm. They put Paul onboard and headed out to sea. Not long after that they ran into the storm. For 14 days they forged through the raging seas, there was no sunlight it was completely dark. The crew began throwing equipment overboard to try to stay afloat. Eventually the wind became so strong and the waves so big they could not control the ship any longer. The crew took down the sails and let the wind blow the ship wherever the storm wanted it to go.

There comes a point when you’ve done everything that you can, you prayed, you believed, you stood in faith, now you have to relinquish control. Let the storm take you where God wants you to go. Say God I trust You, where You take me is where I’m supposed to be. At one point the crew went up to Paul and admitted they should have listened to him and not sailed.

The ship ended up hitting a sandbar and broke apart. They all swam to the small island of Malta. On that small island the chiefs father was extremely sick, Paul prayed for him and he was healed. One by one they brought other ill people to Paul, he prayed and they were healed. Paul ended up sharing his faith and the whole island came to know the lord. God used the winds of that storm to push Paul to people in need. The storm may have been meant for your harm but God knows how to direct the winds to take you to a place where you can be a blessing to someone else in need.

On the way out of the storm don’t be surprised if you have interruptions, inconveniences, not what you had planned. As you reach out to others in need, as you help the fallen, as you encourage those that are down, as you become a friend to the lonely that’s when your breakthrough will come. Pray one for another so you will be healed. One of the tests we all have to pass is being good to someone else in the midst of our storm.

Happy Saturday! Hope you all have a blessed Memorial Day Weekend.