There Is Purpose in the StormSample

Storms Test Us

“The great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God's commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage.” Henry B. Eyring

While storms have many characteristics as we discussed yesterday, I want to zone into the aspect of the storm being a test in the life of a believer. I am not sure many people enjoy testing; as for me, I hate them. Tests make me nervous, stressed and anxious, but while I may not like them, they are an essential part of growth and promotion in life. Imagine having a surgeon operate on you, and just before he performs the surgery, he tells you that he never took his final exam because of his lack of confidence and knowledge of the material he studied while in medical school. He just did not see the need to take the test. You would not think twice about running out of that operating theatre, would you? 

Well, it is the same way with our walk with God; everything He teaches us will get tested even if He is not administering the test. He will allow some things to come our way to see how strong our faith is in Him. His testing is not to kill us or for His pleasure, but it is a tool He will use to help us mature. In the story of the Israelites in the wilderness, we see God testing them so what was in their hearts could be revealed, “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” - Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV)

Testing is a part of your walk to maturity, and tests do come in the form of storms at times. The one thing I want to emphasize here is a storm only comes after a prophetic word is released. The purpose of the storm in a believer's life is to test the Word that was given. The Word of God is always pregnant with purpose; the Word of God is a seed, the Word of God is life, and it holds the potential for your future. Once God releases a word into your life, be sure testing is imminent. Again I want to state that God does not bring the storms, but He sure can use the storms for our benefit.

Let us look at an example of this in scripture. In Mark chapter 4 after Jesus shares about the sower and the seeds and explains to his disciples how the Word of God works once it is sown in the hearts of men, He then gives his disciples a prophetic word. He says, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” (Mark 4:35 TPT). Pay close attention! All-day, Jesus was in the boat on the shores of Galilee, teaching the Word of God to the people, explaining the kingdom, and how it works. He was showing how powerful the Word is when it falls on good soil, explaining how the enemy of our souls looks for an opportunity to steal the Word from us, so we never see the fullness of the fruit of the kingdom with hopes of destroying destiny and purpose. In other words, Jesus spent all day sowing seeds in the hearts of the disciples that would soon be tested when he gave them the final instruction of going to the other side. 

Going to the other-side became their God-purpose because there was an assignment waiting there. Remember, a prophetic word will always precede a storm!