He had been walking with them for a while now. The words that were coming out of His mouth were nothing like they ever heard before. They were amazed at His wisdom and compassion. They followed Him as multitudes. Some decided to leave everything behind and follow Him; while others couldn’t bear leaving everything they ever cherished for this Man. He spoke the truth with love, but He wasn’t afraid to rebuke them when they were wrong. Most of all the people wondered, where is this Man from? He couldn’t tell them where He was from because the time for Him to be revealed hadn’t arrived (Matthew 13:53-58). He had been doing amazing miracles and they were simply astonished. But this day was different. The one who was sent to prepare the way for Him (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1) had been beheaded. And when they told Him the news He withdrew from the crowd and went to be by Himself.

Even Jesus understood this: Without solitude, you can’t hear the voice of God.

Every time Jesus wanted to hear the voice of His father, he withdrew from the crowd and went to pray. Who are we to think that we can hear God if we are always in the crowd?

As He withdrew to be by Himself the crowd still wanted more from Him.

Sometimes it’s hard to feed your soul when you are always expected to feed others.

When Jesus saw them He had compassion on them (Matthew 14:14).

I don’t know if I’m alone in this but every time I’m in a storm the first thing I think is this: “God, where are you? I know You said that You will never leave me nor forsake me, but right now You making it hard for me to see You…”

But the thing that amazes me is this: Every time God came to meet with Moses, He came in “the pillar of clouds” (Exodus 33:9). And in Exodus 19:16; 18 He appears to the people of Israel “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.”

The thing that God has been telling me every morning for these past few weeks is this: you can clearly see Me in the Storm if you take your eyes off yourself. 

Honestly, I see God clearly in the sunrise, when every thing is shinning and beautiful. But the thing I’m trying to learn is this: God can be seen in the storm as clearly as in the sunrise. 

Let’s go back to our story of Jesus and the crowd. After Jesus had compassion on them, He healed their sick and fed them.

We are all too familiar with the story, with just two fishes and five loaves He fed five thousands men without counting women and children (Matthew 14:21).

And Christine Caine had talked about this story at the Women of Faith conference. She had asked this, “why did they take up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over”? We were all quiet waiting to know why.

After feeding people, Jesus dismissed the crowd and sent the disciples into the boat (Matthew 14:22). After that Jesus went to pray.

Jesus always found time to be with His father no matter how busy He was. 

He was praying and the disciples found themselves in trouble. They were about to drown because the wind was against them, they were also terrified.

And she had said this: “Jesus wanted the disciples to take the left overs with them because He wanted them to remember what He was capable of”. Why would they be afraid if they had just saw what Jesus had just done in front of their eyes? They had just seen the God-Man take what was not enough and turn it into more than enough, but still they had doubted. Don’t we all do the same? God does something miraculous in our lives and then the slightest storm that comes our way we start to panic as if the same God who delivered us from our past trials will not do the same again? God knows our past, present, and future, which means He knew that while He was praying the disciples were going to be facing the storm. Perhaps that’s why He had given them something to take with them to remind them of His goodness. Before any storm, God gives you and me something that’s going to remind us of who He is (Mighty. Faithful. Good. Redeemer. Deliverer) during the storm.

We all know how easy and fun it is to worship God when all is well. But “the storm will show and tell you what you believe”. ~Christine Caine

What if God was quiet during our storms to test our faith? Anybody can say “Oh Lord, I have faith in You” but few can back it up. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds”James 2:14?

If a person told you that he or she loves you, but never did anything to prove it, would you really believe that they love you? I don’t think so. “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). Believing there is God is really great but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t walk obediently in the storm with our eyes fixed on Jesus.  James 2:19-22 says  “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works”. 

How you walk in the storm is how you show God that you have complete faith in Him. Abraham willingness to sacrifice his son was a way of telling “God, I trust You, even though I don’t understand why You making me do this or go through this”.

“You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone”. James 2:24 “Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how high you jump in praise but how straight you walk in obedience! ” Rick Godwin

How straight you walk in obedience in your hardest storm;
How faithful you walk through the storm;
How thankful you walk through your darkest seasons;
How you rejoice in your grief because “you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy (Hallelujah, Hallelujah), for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

What’s the point of all these? Why bother walk faithfully in obedience regardless of the season we are going through? Because it will all be worth it if we get to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). These words will be worth every tear I ever cried and every heart break and pain I ever experienced or that I will experience.

Lord, I pray that when You come back, may You find us ready. “Let us not be like others, who are asleep. Please, Lord; help us be alert and self-controlled”. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 In the precious name of Jesus I pray and I believe those who ask will receive! Amen!