Praising God In The Storms Of Life

Hello everyone!

So I am sitting here after my second year at PRBI, and I am in the one place that I did not want to be. I had so many plans this summer, that in all honesty I made on my own, being self deceptive thinking that God wanted me there. Immediately after school I left with a friend to go and live with him and his family. On the way home we were traveling through a snow storm, and we go into a car accident that we should not have walked away from, but by the grace of God we did. I had plans to get a high paying job, and make lost of money this summer and get all these extra things. But in the car accident I injured my hand, and it still bothers me more than a month later. Even after this I decided to move out, and go to my friends place. I was there for all of a week, there was just a great uneasiness within, me. So I know find myself home, the last place in the world I wanted to be.

But you know what, I thank God for that. I thank Him for this all, because I have learned how much I rely on myself rather than on God. I have learned that I deceive myself, and that I am not always trusting and following God. And you know what God still loves me, He doesn’t love me any less. He is using my idiocy and lack of wisdom to teach me, which to me is amazing.

So to sum up my summer this far, I am living in a storm, and one thing that has really hit me lately, was hearing the song by Casting Crowns “Praise You In This Storm”. The words of this song have been so encouraging to me, and make me want to praise God amidst the storm in my life.

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, “‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’” So they got into the boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying “‘Master, master, we’re going to drown!’” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “‘Where is your faith?’” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’” (Lk.8:22-25)

This left me with a rhetorical question. Where is my faith? If Jesus my Lord and Saviour has the authority and power to calm the winds and raging waters of a storm, is He not able to help me through the storms in my life. I relized that I have a real lack of trust in God. This was a hard hit because I have always though that I trusted God fully. I now know that I falter, that I so often rely on myself not God. After reading this passage, I had to listen to Casting Crowns again.

Let us look at the verses of this song together:

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”A
nd as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away


After listening to this song again, tears streaming I knew my God, I knew that He can help me through anything life throws at me. Whether it be difficulties with other people, the fiery arrows of Satan, or the storms that we ourselves create for ourselves, God is there, and He is in control. We as believers (including myself) need to realize that God is in complete control, that He is completely Sovereign; and that just as Christ calmed the wind and the waves, He can calm any of the storms and plights in our lives. Know this that God uses the tough times in our lives to teach us and to draw us closer to Himself. I cannot describe how incredibly beautiful it is when you reach that low point, and feel like you can do nothing to better your situation, and are left with no choice but to trust God. It is incredible, tears of joy rise up, and you cannot help but feel the love of God, a love which is perfect and unchanging. My prayer is that we can all trust God in the storms of our lives. May we realize where our help comes from, and may we respond in adoration and praise.

So let this be our realization:

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

And this our response:
I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will life my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm