Joy in the Storm
When the storms of life come we can rely on the underlying currents of love, peace, and joy that we’ve established by faith, the forgiveness of sin, and the hope empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Lord sustains us, strengthens us, and His hope anchors our soul. His word guides us. His love and joy lift us. We can have, and live joy, because He has redeemed us and given us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit produces joy in us as we dig deep and lean on God’s word through reading and praying.
Galatians 5:22-23 New Living Translation (NLT)
Illustration by Kathryn Owen Gifford of Doodle All the Day O
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
We are His and called according to His purpose.
How’s your quiet time?
How’s your prayer life?
Are you reading God’s word with understanding?
Are you taking every thought captive?
His yoke is gentle. His burden is light. Invite Him into your days so you can have joy.
2 Corinthians 3: 16-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
If thoughts and worries overwhelm, take them to the One who loves you most. Pray! Remember, Paul had to remind the Philippians - they were mature Christians and they still needed to be reminded - we all do!
Philippians 4:6-9 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing, fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” We can walk through our days empowered to know that we belong to the one who controls the wind and the water.
We can walk through our days empowered by the Holy Spirit with the hope of God. “Now may the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NLT) What a blessing to know and be in relationship with the One who controls the wind and the waves. “This hope is a strong anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain (veil) into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:19 (NLT).
In all boating, the anchor is the hope of safety whether it is on the boat or dug deep in the sand. Isn’t it wonderful how God gives us this image for our clear understanding?
Have you ever seen a sailboat out of the water? Some look like this
“The keel is basically a flat blade sticking down into the water from the bottom of a sailboat bottom. It has two functions: it prevents the boat from being blown sideways by the wind, and it holds the ballast that keeps the boat right-side up. That’s all you really need to know about the keel to enjoy sailing—OK, you have to know how deep it is so you don’t run aground—but in fact, the keel is a pretty interesting structure” (Discover Boating, 2020). Some sailboats have a fixed keel (as in the photo above) and some have a retractable keel to be able to sail more shallow waters.
“Keels come in many styles. Traditional boats have graceful keels built into the shape of the hull; the ballast is either bolted to the bottom of the keel or placed inside it. The keel is built of whatever the boat is built of—usually fiberglass, aluminum or wood—and the ballast is lead. This is a sturdy, time-proven design, especially good for a cruising boat, which might run aground on an uncharted reef or require hauling out in a remote part of the world.” (Discover Boating, 2020).
The keel digs deep into the calmer water to keep the boat from toppling when the water is choppy, and it raises the vessel in calm water so the sail can catch the wind. Think about that for a minute. It’s probably the heaviest piece on the boat but it digs deep and raises to meet the needs of the boat. We need to remember to keel well when trouble comes. Dig deep into the Word and prayer, keep tabs on our thoughts, and remember who we are and to Whom we belong.
We are Daughters of the Most High King!
“You will keep us in perfect peace when our minds stay on You.” (Isaiah 26:3) We have victorious joy because we know whatever happens we belong to Him.
Psalm 16:11 (NLT) says “11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.[a]” He tells us we are His and He is ours, believe Him. Trust Him.
