When the Storm Hits Home

When storms pile up, it doesn’t take long to feel like you’re drowning.

This summer, wave after wave of problems crashed over us.

It started with an oven that needed four different parts and a month to repair. Then came worse.

One Sunday morning, I woke to the sound of running water. The source? A slab leak in the hot water line. That discovery set off a chain reaction—restoration crews, industrial fans roaring like a jet in our game room, and more questions than answers.

As if that weren’t enough, the pendant lights quit working. We had already scheduled foundation repairs, which meant more plumbing concerns. Then, one afternoon, I walked into a house that was sweltering—our air conditioner had quit.

“Overwhelmed” doesn’t begin to cover it. Anxiety knotted my insides, even though I know all the right answers about worry. Sometimes knowing is not the same as practicing.

It forced me to return to a single passage of Scripture—Matthew 8, where Jesus calms the storm.

The disciples, some of them seasoned sailors, panicked as waves pounded their boat. Meanwhile, Jesus slept in the stern. They shook Him awake, convinced they were about to die. He stood, felt the stinging rain, heard the howl of the wind, and spoke into the chaos:

“Peace, be still.”

I’ve always loved that story—not just because He commanded the storm outside to cease, but because His words also spoke to the storm inside His disciples. His question afterward still lingers: “Where is your faith?”

That was the question I needed to hear.

Not just “Will He calm this storm?” but “Where is my faith in the middle of it?”

Over the past thirty days, that lesson has been reinforced. Life’s waves will eventually settle. The storm will pass. But in the meantime, there are two things I must not forget:

• Listen for His voice in the storm.
• Let His question probe my heart.

When life tumbles in, we need both.

The calm.

And the challenge.

“Peace, be still.” And, “Where is your faith?”