Praying and Staying on Course ~ Even During the Storm!

Thoughts on Perspective, Storms, and Shalom

The storms of life come - be they health challenges, betrayals, financial crises, legal attacks, emotional heartbreaks, family issues, or some unholy combination thereof.

David and I have been through some pretty crazy storms, over the last several years and I know we are not the only folks out there who have felt the crushing weight of the stormy circumstances that threaten to capsize our lifeboat. It is really easy to let the storm stir up terror in our spirits, especially when you see the waves engulfing your little boat. This is a temptation that can be hard to resist, especially when you don’t see answers to the problems just yet. The wind whirls around, picking up speed and our faith, which seemed just fine when our little boat started on the journey in the waters, begins to shrink and shrivel into fear. It is not easy to keep the Shalom Peace of God on the inside when everything around you is twisting up into a howling tornado with the wreckage of your life whirling up into the air. What has helped me to pray and stay on course, even in the storms, is a surefire compass called PERSPECTIVE. I am not just talking about having a map of the waters and the jagged rocks, where you are floundering; I am talking about having a clear understanding of just what IS and what IS NOT behind every storm that I face. PERSPECTIVE is a very real key to maintaining inner Shalom- the peace of God that keeps us calm in the eye of the storm. PERSPECTIVE, knowing where the storm is coming from and who or what is causing the storm, is essential in order to help us continue to pray and stay on course.

“What has helped me to pray and stay on course, even in the storms, is a surefire compass called PERSPECTIVE.”

There was a time in my life when I honestly thought that everything that actually happened in my life must have been God’s will. And that perspective is very common among believers, after all, isn’t God “all powerful”? Isn’t He “Sovereign”? And indeed our Lord God is our Creator God, the “Lord of Angel Armies, The Lord of Hosts” (this phrase is mistranslated as “The Sovereign God” in the NIV- but maybe that is a story to talk about in another post.) The problem is that God isn’t the only entity out there stirring things up. He is ultimately the most wonderful and powerful One; the victorious One who holds all creation together with the Word of his Power (Hebrew 1:3) but He is also the one who created our world to allow us to have the freedom to live in real relationship with him. He is also the one who willingly laid down His life to bring us back into a restored relationship with Him and also ultimately to bring The Restoration of All Things (Rev 21:4) However, as Jesus pointed out in John 10:10, there is a thief, an enemy who comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. This is a figure and a force in polar opposition to God’s restorative Good Will. This is a malicious foe, an adversary that prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour and destroy (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus made it very clear both in His words and in His deeds that it was not His Father who was doing the stealing and the killing and the destroying. I am so glad he made it so clear.

“We live in a land of storms. We live in a battle zone with a very real enemy who is fully engaged in opposing our progress toward Kingdom advancement at every level.”

We live in a land of storms. We live in a battle zone with a very real enemy who is fully engaged in opposing our progress toward Kingdom advancement at every level. Ever since the fall, when Adam and Eve believed the lie of the serpent that God cannot be trusted, there has been terrible distortion and brokenness that has affected all of creation. There is also still a very real and active enemy, sowing lies at every opportunity, trying to get us to distrust God, to not be willing to love Him and live according to His purposes. Romans 8:28 doesn’t say that all things are good in and of themselves or that all things that happen are God’s will. It says that God will work FOR our good IN all things, as we trust in Him, as we love Him and as we devote ourselves to living according to His purposes. God isn’t the one stirring up the storms, not even to “teach us a lesson!” God isn’t the one opposing restoration or the one “giving” a person cancer, or the one causing barrenness, or the one “breaking” us, “consuming” us or “afflicting” us in any way, not even to train us or build up our character. God does not afflict! (Job 37:23) I am glad for the clarity Jesus brings about who our Father God is. I am so thankful for the example He gave us on what to do when faced with the storms. Jesus rebuked the storm and spoke “Peace.” The word “Shalom” is a concept that means a much deeper peace than just a cessation of violence or chaos, it means “WHOLENESS, nothing broken, nothing missing, nothing out of alignment.” The blessing “Shalom” means a blessing for “all of God’s best blessings for every area of life!”

“I am glad for the clarity Jesus brings about who our Father God is. I am so thankful for the example He gave us on what to do when faced with the storms. Jesus rebuked the storm and spoke 'Peace.' The word 'Shalom' is a concept that means a much deeper peace than just a cessation of violence or chaos, it means 'WHOLENESS.'”

So I encourage you to get out your compass and calibrate your PERSPECTIVE so that you will be able to move forward in VICTORIOUS HOPE, so that you will be able to recognize that God is NOT tormenting you with that storm in your life at all. However, He is standing with you even as the waves and wind whip around, strengthening you and giving you the courage and grace to be able to speak PEACE to that storm. We partner with His heart to speak SHALOM- Restoration- Redemption- Wholeness- Life- Hope and Love into every broken place, into every chaotic storm and we will see His wonderful GOODNESS overcome every evil thing that has been stirred up against us and against those around us and those for whom we are contending. I speak SHALOM over you, that God’s goodness will encourage your heart in every situation, that His strength will sustain you and that you will experience His loving restoration and that you will indeed see His Kingdom wholeness overcome every storm in a truly WONDERFUL way!

1 John 1:5 (NIV) This is the message we have heard from him (Jesus) and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.

At “Coffee with the Clancys,” we believe that Jesus gives us PERSPECTIVE! He is the fullest and clearest revelation of the love of God; He is indeed the Prince of Peace (the Prince of SHALOM) and He fully and completely represents God’s true character and nature. Because of this, we have a VICTORIOUS HOPE and we are more than conquerors in the midst of the battles of life and the storms at sea. It is our desire to help both believers and non-believers alike to experience God’s healing goodness and grace, to understand that Jesus is the full revelation of our WONDERFUL and loving God, and to experience BREAKTHROUGH in the Name of Jesus Christ even in the face of the fiercest storm. Climb into the lifeboat with us! We desire to create a safe place to share a cup of coffee and to discuss and discover a new perspective and a renewed Hope for Life. We are thankful that many people are being encouraged in the midst of life’s battles; because Jesus brings such a refreshingly clear revelation that our Father God is Good and He DOES NOT PARTNER WITH EVIL!

#WarfareWorldview