How To Live (Endure) The Storm Of Life!

The Storms of life teach us how to be, live and endure these dark times. These storms are to draw us closer to God and to know who God is. As a great storm of life arises, it will want to break us. To the point that our emotions, mind, and heart are flooded with fear. 

When the fear takes over, it tries to override our faith. Fear causes us to believe or think we are going to perish in the storm, and we will lose the ability to think clearly.

So one might ask, “how will I make it through?” From personal experience, I seriously asked the same question in my own storm of life in its deepest depth and darkest time.  

In the Deepest Part & Darkest Times in the Storm of Life 

It is in the deepest part and darkest times of the storm, serious decisions need to be made. Your decision will either draw you closer to the Lord or deeper into your storm. It’s a time in our life that our faith is constantly being challenged. 

During the deepest part and darkest times, we have so many more questions than we have answers. We seem to be consumed with the situation, circumstances, and ourselves. And what we are doing isn’t working. 

We cry out to God looking for answers, but it is like our ears are closed off. Our eyes are blinded to everything except this looming storm that surrounds us. We must use every last bit of strength we have to concentrate on the Lord while the storm is at its worst. Understanding why God even permits these kinds of storms to occur can be helpful. 

Why Does God Allow Storms in Our Life?

God allows these storms in our life, to strengthen our faith and draw us closer to Him. As we draw closer to God, we gain more wisdom and knowledge of who God is. God wants us to experience His grace on a much deeper level. It is the reason God allows these storms in our life. This will help you know how to be, live and endure these storms. 

To understand why God allows the storms, in the first place, then you must know who Jesus Christ is personally. We hope you read our Coming to Salvation bible study. 

These storms also show us our weaknesses and the truth about our heart. For scripture says; “that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. (Deuteronomy 8:2 NASB 1995)” The test will reveal whether our heart will trust or doubt the Lord during our storm.

Storms also are test, trials, and tribulations in our life.

When you’re in the middle of an overwhelming storm, and you are drowning, God wants us to know we can rest in Him. Keeping our eyes on Jesus (just like Peter) we can learn to walk above the storm. However, If our eyes are not on Jesus (just like Peter) then the storm will engulf us. Jesus will teach us how to rest in Him.

Jesus Gives Rest in the Storm of Life

Christ Jesus gives us rest in the storm of life through Him and Him alone. In Matthew, He says;

Matthew 11:28 KJV Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

To receive His rest, we must come to Him and continue to daily come to Him. We do this through prayer, reading God’s word, worship, and praise.  All of these will teach us who Christ Jesus is, and we will learn how to walk on the storm.

Rest means: we will be equipped to go through what is before us. It means the storm in life has a task and a job to do. 

Just like Peter, Jesus will show us how to stay calm on the inside and not be engulfed by the chaos and turmoil. We will stay calm as we learn His meekness and lowliness of heart. 

What this means is Jesus will show us that His heart is gentle, humble and nurturing. His nurturing heart knows what is best for us. We will see Jesus as one who is willing to carry us through the storm.

You cannot rest through your storm without being yoked with Christ. To be fully restful, we need the other part of the equipment, which is being yoked. We must be yoked with Jesus!

In Our Storm Being Yoked & Fully Restful is found in Christ

One cannot be yoked with Christ without first having received him as Lord and Savior.

Matthew 11:29 KJV, Take my yoke upon you,

For those who have not come to Christ Jesus, Matthew 11:28, please read our Coming to Salvation bible study. 

Jesus says, “take my yoke UPON YOU!” Notice the scripture DOES NOT SAY, Jesus takes our yoke. No, it says we are to take Jesus’ YOKE. 

That is, the yoke we carry, we carry with Jesus in the lead.

What does a yoke do?

Yoke means: 2218 zygós – properly, a yoke; a wooden bar placed over the neck of a pair of animals so they can pull together; (figuratively) what unites (joins) two people to move (work) together as one.

[2218 (zygós) unites two elements to work as one unit, like when two pans (weights) operate together on a balance-scale – or a pair of oxen pulling a single plough.] by HELPS Word-studies (permission to use)

An example of this is: A yoke is for the purpose of, joining two to work together in unison. The yoke keeps each one in their proper position. When a farmer knew his experienced ox was aging, he would buy a young ox.

In order to train the young oxen to plow the rows in a straight line, it would be yoked to the older oxen. The yoke was hand built for both animals in a way that caused them no pain. Therefore, the young oxen willfully followed the older one.

How does being yoked with Christ apply to us?

Being yoked to Christ, we now live through faith following His lead. We voluntarily yield our will every day and in every aspect because we are yoked to Christ.

Being yoked with Christ takes the strain out of trying, and figuring it out for ourselves. The more we deny ourselves and take up our cross (yoked) daily (Luke 9:23), the deeper we learn Who He is (John 17:3).

In other words, you will rest on the inside as you are yoked with Christ. Learning of Christ, you will come to realize Jesus is trustworthy. He will lead us through our storms in a gentle and nurturing way. 

Jesus says, “Learn of Me”

Jesus says, “learn of me” which means, Christ will lead us to know Him on a personal level.

Matthew 11:29 KJV …and learn of me;…

Learn means: To acquire knowledge or skill; to make progress in acquiring knowledge or skill; to receive information or instruction; as, this child learns quickly. by Webster’s Dictionary

Upon being yoked with Christ, He will teach us to live in God’s preferred will. We will be taught how God sees things, how He feels about things and what He thinks about things. Which means, when Jesus came, He had a single focus, His “Father’s business.”

Luke 2:49 KJV, And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

Business means:  … or that which engages the time, attention, or labor of anyone, as his principal concern or interest, whether for a longer or shorter time;

Learning who Christ is, and following His lead, we will be shown His “Father’s business.” Our relationship will grow and change.

JOB says it all: Job went through a horrific storm. In the end he says, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted….“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.”  Job saw the heart of God in his storm. 

What is Job saying to us? He’s saying he knew God, but now he sees Him completely differently. God did not change, Job did. As he endured his storms and kept his faith, he began to learn who God is. In the end, his relationship went from knowing about God to a personal relationship with God.

Living with Christ, we will experience the same storms as Job did. Which is, a storm within the storm concerning what we believe. Why?

Because like Job, the more we experience God, the more we recognize how much we do not know. But when we continue to follow His guidance and experience more of His divine character, our understanding of God deepens.

As we go ever deeper into our relationship with Him, He will teach us the true meaning of being meek.

Learning the True Meaning of Meekness – Christ says, “I am Meek”

To have meekness fully mature in our life we must come, rest, be yoked and learn of Him daily.

Matthew 11:29 KJV …for I am meek…

In our society, meekness means weakness. But that is not true. Meekness actually means;

Meek means: Cognate: 4239 praýs – This difficult-to-translate root (pra-) means more than “meek.” Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God’s strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness.

Meekness: 4236 praótēs– properly, temperate, displaying the right blend of force and reserve (gentleness). 4236 /praótēs (“strength in gentleness”) avoids unnecessary harshness, yet without compromising or being too slow to use necessary force.

For the believer, 4236 /praótēs (“meekness”) is the fruit (product) of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:23), i.e. it is never something humanly accomplished (or simply “biological”). by HELPS Word-studies (permission to use)

True Meekness in our life is not something we as humans can accomplish. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our life, we will produce the fruit of meekness. Humanly, when we are under a storm, we want to attack and be hateful to others.

Christ tells us to learn His meekness and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. This will produce kindness and patience to others during our storm. We must demonstrate Christ’s meekness rather than merely learning about it.

Christ will teach us through His word how to exercise His power and strength of meekness. Which does not create undue grief in another person’s life. We do this by being fully dependent on God for every decision. True meekness desires to encourage, support, and feed others the truth. 

By accepting Christ’s meekness, we no longer look to the world for guidance or assistance, and their viewpoint no longer affects us. Our arrogance is fading and our love for others grows. This distinguishes us from the world. We now learn how to be lowly in heart, for Jesus says, “I am lowly.” 

Be Lowly in Heart Like Jesus in Your Storm of Life

Jesus’ meekness served as the perfect example of having a lowly heart.

Matthew 11:29 KJV …and lowly in heart:…

Lowly means: Having a low esteem of one’s own worth; humble; meek; free from pride. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.
– Matt. xi. 29. – by Webster’s Dictionary

Lowly means: 5011 tapeinós (an adjective) – properly, low; (figuratively) inner lowliness describing the person who depends on the Lord rather than self. See 5012 (tapeinophrosynē).

5011 /tapeinós (“lowly, humble”) means being God-reliant rather than self-reliant – which ironically always exalts a person (brings them true worth, cf. 1 Pet 5:6). by HELPS Word-studies (used with permission)

He achieved this by acting with just the appropriate amount of strength and restraint while following His Father’s instructions. The heart of Jesus was in perfect submission and harmony with His Father.

Philippians 2:5-7 KJV, 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

When the heart of Christ is our heart, we will not live through self-governance (pride). Instead, we will base our choices on God’s word. He says, “lowly in heart” because the heart is the producer of our desires.

Where does your heart lie?

Scripture says, where our treasures lie, our heart is there (Matthew 6:21). When our heart belongs to Christ, we will no longer think God’s laws or commands are hard or restricting (1 John 5:3). Our lives will bear the fruit of doing God’s good purpose (Philippians 2:13).

Being and staying yoked with Christ through our storm will keep us free from pride. Jesus will lead us and keep us on the straight and narrow path. So, the storm will accomplish its work of changing our heart and mind to reflect the humble and lowly heart of Christ. 

Yoked with Christ in our storms, we are empowered by God through faith to be kind to someone in a way that benefits them. We learn the kindness of Christ that benefits others, while under pressure or being severely oppressed and opposed by others.

Storms in our life are not pleasant events. But when we keep ourselves under the leadership of Christ, we will come out of our storm stronger in faith. As well as with a changed heart.

Conclusion: Overcome & Enduring the Storm of Life

God has a lot to say about enduring and overcoming the storm of life. Which involves our attitudes, words, and behaviors. The meekness and humbleness of Jesus is at the heart of it all. Jesus promised us tribulation in this world.

It is not a matter of if the storm comes, but how to endure when it comes.

I endured decades of storms knowing about God, but rest in my soul was not an option.

Once I received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the storms didn’t stop, but the learning began. I still read Matthew 11:28-30, to remind me about the One I am yoked with is my strength and courage. As well as gentle, kind, and nurturing. When I am looking at Him, He is showing me someone who needs Him in their storm. 

Jesus is God in flesh. To know Jesus Christ is to know God. Knowing God, our faith rests in the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. 

Hebrews 1:2-3 NASB1995, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Who in the Bible Went Through a Storm of life?

There are many in the bible who went through trials and storms in their life. Job lost everything. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Then he was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit.

David was chased by King Saul for 20 years out of jealousy. People suffering and enduring storms did not end with the disciples, but continues today. However, there is One who went through a storm of life that we can only understand in part, Jesus, the Son of God. 

Jesus was surrounded by controversy from His birth. He was constantly offending the people and the religious leaders of His day. Because He didn’t go with the flow but was coming against their hypocrisy and lies, they hated Him. This caused them to be instrumental in arranging His death.

He knew what His future held. That is, He knew how, when, where, and why He would be put to death. And as it came within days of His death, the weight of what was coming began to cause Him great trouble in His soul. 

Jesus Storm of Life in Gethsemane

John 12:27-28 NASB1995, 27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 

Jesus did not deny He was in mental and emotional distress. He knew He would bear the righteous wrath of God for the sins of the world. Which would lead Him to experience something He had never experienced, separation from His Father. We see the same anguish haunting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Matthew 26:36-38 NASB1995, 36 Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”

Glorifying The Lord During His Storm of Life

Jesus was engulfed in sorrow. Hebrews 5:7 tells us He prayed, crying out loudly with tears, to be saved from death. In the garden, He asks for this cup of suffering to pass Him by. But He did not stop there, He immediately said, Your will be done, not mine. He remained focused on glorifying the Father.

Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world. He did endure the righteous wrath of God’s judgment on Himself. The cross is the only place Jesus says My God instead of My Father. 

He was dead and buried. But on the 3rd day He was resurrected, and He ascended back into heaven with His Father.

The cross of Christ is our perfect example of the meekness of Christ’s divine nature. As well as shows us He is lowly in heart. When we look to the cross of Christ, we see, submission to the Father’s will in times of great distress. His death was brutal and done at the hands of brutal people and hypocritical religious leaders.

What was Jesus response?

Matthew 23:34-37 NASB1995, 34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”

The only way the storms of life make sense is to glorify God, our Father through faith in Christ, forgive others as they mock us, and allow ourselves to be led through our storm God’s way. 

A true story of someone embracing their storm