By Chris WittsMonday 19 Sep 2022Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
A commercial pilot flying in the Caribbean was once asked, “What’s the worst difficulty that you experience when flying in that part of the world? The Cyclones?” He said, “No, we can use the cyclones. They move slowly at the centre. So we get on the edge and have a 100 mile an hour wind behind us. And then coming back, we get on the other side. We use them both for coming and going.”
Hurricane season in the Caribbeans can be especially dangerous. And this comment from the pilot reminded me that we’re going to face storms in our own lives. There’s nothing surer than that. Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching. Long before it breaks, the eagle will fly to some high spot. It waits for the winds to come, and when the storm hits, this bird sets its wing so that the wind will pick it up and lift it high above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring high above it, gliding with ease.
Now the eagle doesn’t escape the storm, it just simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the wind that brings the storm. It’s as though they know the storm is underneath is going to last a while. They can rise above it and they are riding the storm. Amazing.
We can take that model of the eagle, you know, and do the same. Why not? When the storms of life come upon us and we’re going to experience them, we can rise above them by setting our minds and faith towards God. So the storms do not have to overcome us. We can imitate the eagles intelligence, and they’re pushed through their perseverance to weather any storm. Remember that God will never give us more than we can handle. We will come out victorious. We can allow God to lift us above the storms, for God enables us to ride the winds of the storm. And these winds can bring sickness and pain, tragedy, failure. But something good can come out of it.
And remember this. It’s not the burdens of life that weighs down. It’s how we handle them that really counts. And in the Bible in Isaiah 40 Verse 31, we have these wonderful words. “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” Have you noticed that the eagle in this story doesn’t escape the storm? It simply uses the storm to lift it higher.
And in the same way we can rise above the storm by setting our mind and faith towards God. Are you going through something hard today? Are you worried about something in particular? Nothing is too big for God. The Lord gives you strength that you need. Have you actually called on him to guide you? It’s nothing to do with luck or anything in the past. It could be that God wants you to draw closer to him.
Instead of running away from God, run to him. When you draw near to him, He will draw near to you and you’ll experience the Lord in a new way. Now, I’m not saying that Christianity is easy, but when you walk with God, you will enjoy the journey. You’ll become a great person that God wants you to be. God is a loving and caring Father. He wants to be close to all his Children. Now, sadly, many of us are not giving Him a chance.
If you’re going through this storm today, consider getting closer to God. The more Moses knew God the closer he wanted to be with Him. And that’s why Moses asked God to reveal His glory to him. And like that great man, Moses, we should have that desire to know God in a new and deeper way. You can read the whole story for yourself in Exodus 33. How you handle the storm will determine whether you come out victoriously or if you come out defeated, but you don’t have to rely on your own wisdom and strength.
God, through His Holy Spirit will give you endurance so that you can stand firm. You only need to trust him. And don’t lean on your own understanding. It’s important that you win this storm because Jesus has already gone ahead of you. He’s made it to the finish line, and because you need to come out well, people could be depending on you. And you can enjoy the great things that God has planned for you because I’m saying the Christian life can be exciting and enjoyable. I want you to know that you’re not the only one going through a storm.
Maybe someone else in your family is struggling. Don’t run away from Him. Run to him and ask Him to strengthen you.
Let’s Pray
God, thank you for everything that you’re doing in my life. Thank you for the times and the seasons that I go through. I know the storm will come and pass because you never give me more than I can handle. And when I’m about to throw in the towel, remind me of what Jesus did on the cross that I can be strengthened in my inner being. Use this storm to heal, change and refine me, amen.