Looking Up
A few weeks ago we had some pretty nasty thunderstorms roll through the area. Tornado sirens were going off, the wind was blowing, hail was pounding against the windows, and to be completely honest, I was a little frightened. But as frightened as I was, my children were even more on edge.
One thing I was able to remember during the storm was 2 Timothy 1:7, our verse of the week which says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”
This verse helped me remember a few truths.
- God is with me in the storm
- My children needed me to be calm and not all worked up.
- I had the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me to help me be calm.
When I began to recognize these three truths, I was able to put my own fears and anxieties aside so that I could look out to my children and be their source of comfort, and look up to God as my source of comfort to give me the strength to be their comfort, even as I heard the tornado sirens rattling the window pane.
Look to God
You are so fortunate that you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Literally, an internal guide for the hard stuff. But I want to be clear; the hard stuff is still going to happen. The storms and tornadoes are still going to blow your way, but when you are anchored in the strength God provides you from the Holy Spirit, you will be able to handle any storm that comes your way.
How do you look to God?
While it has taken plenty of self-discipline and effort, looking to God has become a little easier for me. Here are three ways I have been able to teach myself discipline so that when the storm hits, I am more able to look to God for comfort.
- Get in the Word Every Day, Several Times a Day.
For me, I have to be in the Word every day. Several times a day. This is why I put out a weekly verse. Maybe you could memorize a verse a week? But this is what I know to be true; when I am disciplined to be in the Word on a daily basis, my heart begins to memorize Scripture. when I am faced with something scary or new, I remember I read a verse about something along the same lines. Then if I can’t remember exactly where I read it, I go to the Google and type in something like, “Scripture about not having a Spirit of fear”. And then 2 Timothy 1:7 shows up as one of the search results.
Being in the Word gives you grounding in the storm. It helps you anchor into a source of Power so that you can be a source of calm for those around you.
2. Tend to Others During the Storm.
Not only is it helpful to look to God during your own storm, but when you being intentional in tending to others while you are in the storm, it demonstrates your trust in God, your love for them over being self-focused, and the strength to put yourself aside, which also gives you an extra dose of power. When you are loving others while you are in your own storm, you start to forget about your own storm because you feel good on the inside because you are helping and loving other people outside of you.
The other evening when we had the tornado sirens, thunder, hail, and wind, I felt anxious. But when I decided to trust God, I became a source of comfort for my children. I was able to navigate the decisions that needed to be made in a calm fashion. Our littlest was even able to fall back to sleep while the storm barreled through because I was able to give her my sense of peace. (It wasn’t really my peace I gave her, I allowed the peace I was getting from the Holy Spirit to pour out of me.)
In the same way, when you are facing something scary– maybe it’s the fear of not being able to pay the bills in a few weeks– think about how you could 1) Look to God as your comfort? And 2) Show comfort and love to other people instead of focusing on your own fear?
3. Know That The Storm Will Pass
Storms pass. The pain and scary stuff ends. You will get through it. I can’t promise it will be today. But I can promise that if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you and you have immediate access to His power for your strength, courage, and self-discipline. He wants to make your load lighter. He wants you to not be afraid. He wants you to trust Him in the storm; trust Him enough to go be comforters to other people; even in the midst of your pain.
Building Community
I would love it if In the comments below you could respond to one of the following questions.
- What kind of storms have you experienced in your own life?
- What is one fear you have found yourself capable of handing over to God and how has it worked out for you?
- Based off of your own experiences what would one piece of advice be for someone reading this who is living in the midst of fear to help them connect to the Power God gives?