Perhaps you have heard the saying, “into each life, some rain must fall.” Well, what if you’re experiencing is more of a deluge? I have observed this trial often comes in numbers, one after the other. People of faith known sprinkles, but we also know full-blown storms. Storms can come and will come to us in all shapes and sizes.
The Book of James 1:2-4 tells us that trials and temptations come in diver shapes, colors, and sizes. The storms can either make us or break us, depending on how you respond. Trials, tragedies, and misfortunes can either be a stepping stone or a stumbling block for us, depending on our heart’s responses. The storms also expose areas of weakness or redness in our lives.
There’s something we need to know about the storms we face in life. God does not cause storms. This world is a ruthless place, and it does not owe anyone anything. Jesus stated that in this world, we would have trials and tribulations, but He also encouraged us to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world.
There comes a time in life when each one of us has to face a storm. Storms are natural, and they come to everyone. These storms may be relational, business, economic, health, or family. They come in different packages.The most significant commodity possessed by all humanity on earth is time. We all have the same amount of time. We may not have the same amount of money, but we all have the same amount of time in a day. 
Time is the currency of life. That’s we need to spend time. What you become is determined by how you spend your time. The most significant protection against wasted time is planning.A plan tells time how you are going to spend it. Without a plan, time is wasted. In a stormy environment, one needs to have a clear plan on navigating the storms of life. You can’t afford to surrender your life to fate. Life is not a game. 
How you spend your time in a stormy environment will determine whether you will survive the storm.God has a plan for you and me. “For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you can call on me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me and I will deliver you from captivity” (Jeremiah 29: 11 -14). The critical issue is to synchronize God’s plan with your daily activities. Indeed, in life, we sometimes make mistakes or find ourselves in deep pits, but God will always rescue us if we put our faith in Him.
The Bible says many are the righteous’s afflictions, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.It is essential to know that these storms are seasonal and so they don’t stay forever. They come and go. I always love the phrase which says this too shall come to pass. Nothing is permanent apart from God and His Word.
One of the lessons we learn about storms is that they are natural. They come to everyone regardless of their social status, the color of skin, or religion. What then do you do when life hits you on the blindside? How do you handle poverty or lack? What do you do when you don’t have enough money to provide for yourself and your family? How do you handle a situation where you have just been retrenched and don’t know where to start? What about that close relative who is seriously ill and they are all looking to you for financial assistance, and yet you don’t have the money? What do you do when your business is facing imminent collapse?
These are some of the storms we face in life. It is not what happens to you that matters but how you react to what happens to you. There is a difference between a thermometer and a thermostat. A thermometer measures temperature while a thermostat regulates temperature. Are you a thermostat or a thermometer? The only way you can be a thermostat is when you depend entirely on God, who is more significant than any force you can face in this world (1 John 4:4). He will continuously regulate your temperature if you allow Him to.God says as long as this earth endures, there are daytime and night time, seedtime, and harvest time. While there will be night, the day will undoubtedly come. There will be winter, but summer will come. These seasons change all the time. I don’t see your position as permanent. It will certainly “come to pass.”Today you may be broke and seem hopeless, and yet tomorrow, through proper planning and hard work, you could join the rich and famous.
The Bible says to everything there is a season. Seasons guarantee change and also hope. The key to success in life is outlasting the season. Seasons give the incentive to plan for the future because you know that winter will not stay forever, so you have to plan for summer. You don’t throw away your summer clothes when you are in winter and vice versa. Seasons are always moving. Never respond permanently to a temporary problem.
There is something we need to know about storms we face in life. God does not cause storms. The author of storms is the God of this world we see in 2 Corinthians 4:4, the devil. God never uses storms as a weapon to teach you a lesson like some people would like to think. Instead, God can rescue you from your pit of destruction.”There is no challenge or temptation that has ever occurred to any man that is not common, and God is very faithful, He will ensure that He provides a way of escape to every temptation or challenge” (1 Corinthians 10:13).However, there are also positives we can derive from storms.
Storms force change and restore nature to its original state. Some people were overweight until the doctor said, “if you don’t reduce your weight by twenty pounds, you will die.” This will force you to start watching your diet and exercise. It has to take such shocking news to move out of their comfort zone with some people.
Storms also expose your weaknesses, just like what happens with some of those tall pine trees. They look tall and strong, but you find that they are easily uprooted. When we get heavy rains, The same applies to our own lives.Some people look like they have made it, and they are invincible. It only takes a solid storm to expose their vulnerability. You then realize that our life is so fragile. 
These storms also test your level of faith in God. Peter told Jesus that he would die for Him and would never leave Him. However, it only took a teenage girl to expose how weak his faith was, and he denied Jesus not only once but three times.How strong is your faith in God? Can your faith sustain you during times of adversity?It is effortless to say you are a believer when everything is going well for you. Do you maintain the same faith in the midst of adversity?Storms also restore actual value. Half of the things you have you don’t use. The other half you don’t want. You don’t need a television set in every room. You can only drive one car at a time. You don’t need a 40-roomed house when you only have two children. At times we need to be reminded of what is essential in life.
A storm will come to remind you of everything you gain; all you can take is just a box or casket. All those things you may have been so proud of are not as valuable as your relationship with God, family, and other loved ones. Your expensive car will be driven by an unlicensed hooligan who inherits it. Storms point you back to God. You then realize that on your own, you can’t do anything. We all need God. Some of us are so proud, and at times, it takes a storm to have our pride deflated. Life is that fragile. Storms also come to cleanse the environment and remove pollution. That pollution could be in the form of people, some of whom you thought were genuine friends.
When times are good, our friends know us, but when times are bad, we know our friends. There are some people in life that storms will get rid of. You will only know your true friends when you are going through a storm.Jesus did not promise smooth sailing, but he did promise a safe passage. I would rather be in the storm with Jesus than anywhere else without him.
So, if you are in a storm of life, my advice to you is to remember that Jesus will get you to the other side. Trust him. He will not abandon you or let you down. You have his word on it. For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
Stay safe and stay blessed.