“Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.” (Psalms 55:3-8)
David says in verse eight, that he would hasten his escape from the storm. He was tired of going through the storm and all the hard times it was bringing upon his life.
Have you ever been in a storm you wanted to escape? I’m talking about a real-life storm, like a tornado or a hurricane or a blizzard. Something that can be catastrophic to your life and your loved ones? Sometimes you can outrun the storm but most of the time you have to find a safe place to bunker down in. We can’t control the weather, we can’t change the course of the storm, we can’t have a say in the final outcome of the storm. What we can do is protect ourselves and our loved ones the best we can and try to stay as safe as possible.
What about the storms of life that aren’t weather-related? What about the storms that are made up of family issues, financial issues, loss of loved ones, workplace issues and so on? Some of these storms may be self-inflicted and then some of them we may have no control over. The point is, we all will go through storms in life. We will all face trials and problems and troubles in life that we will be asking ourselves, “when will it end?” or “how can I escape this storm?”
David wanted to escape the storm. It’s human nature to have a life of ease and comfort. But sometimes, if you want to grow, if you want to become better and stronger, you will have to endure the storms of life.
So you’re asking, “How can I escape this storm I’m in?” I have a couple thoughts that might help you through the storms of life.
First, realize God is always there.
I’m reminded of the story of the three Hebrew children that were thrown into the fiery furnace. The words that King Nebuchadnezzar spoke bring comfort to me when I’m going through a storm. “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:23-25)
Nebuchadnezzar saw the Son of God in the middle of the fire with the three Hebrew children. God was there in the middle of their storm. He was in their presence. Too often, we get our eyes on the storm and off of the Lord and we forget that He is with us.
As you go through the storms of life, learn to look to the Lord. Learn to rely on Him for help during the storm.
God is there with you in the storm!
Second, realize God controls the storm.
Even though I believe some of the storms we face in life, we bring upon ourselves because we are naturally sinners, God still controls the storm.
If we go to the Lord in the storm, He will give us the grace we need to make it through the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm play itself out and other times He brings it to an end. Either way, we should give God the glory as we go through the storms of life.
Third, realize you can’t escape the storm, you have to have faith in God through the storm.
I don’t think I have to expound too much on this statement. Trust God to take care of you. He loves you and will give you the grace and mercy to make it to the other side of the storm.
In closing, I don’t think we can escape the storm in our own power, but we can go through the storm with His power.
Counted Faithful 