Riding out the Storm

Fear. It strikes young and old, rich and poor, people of every nation and culture. Were you struck by fear as you watched news accounts of the tsunami disaster in South Asia? Do the ongoing predictions of terrorist attacks leave you terrified? Consider for a moment how Noah must have felt.

Noah, the only man in his generation who walked with God in the midst of a wicked world, was exposed to the equivalent of a nuclear holocaust, yet he faced it with peace (see Genesis 6-8). While Sunday school stories conjure up the picture of Noah as a quaint, folksy old zookeeper with a plump, rosy-cheeked wife, he was in fact a very strong, courageous man of character and faith. He could easily have been traumatized by the most violent worldwide catastrophe in history—a flood that destroyed every living thing on the face of the earth except for those inside the ark.

But Noah wasn't traumatized. Instead, he possessed a peace that passes all understanding; a peace that enabled him to keep his sanity in the midst of the storm and during the long silence afterward; a peace that rested on his faith in God.

Has God been silent during your storm? Do you think it means He has forgotten you? Oh, no! God says He has engraved your name on the palms of His hands (Isa. 49:16). You are in God's heart and on His mind every moment.

And God did not forget Noah. Even though God was silent in Noah's life for a time, He delivered him and the ark's other passengers when the time was right.

Have you recently lost a loved one? Have you had to say goodbye to a family member who has gone off to war? Are you suddenly facing life as a single parent? Have you lost your job? Are your finances on the verge of bankruptcy? Then ask God to give you a specific promise from His Word on which you can base your faith.

Faith that is based simply on what you want or what you feel is not genuine. What people really mean when they say they have lost their faith and hope is that they no longer feel things are going to work out the way they want.

Noah's hope was based on his faith in God's promise to him—a promise that was fulfilled 371 days after the flood began. And Noah's God is your God. He has not changed. He will deliver you, too.

Are you ready to trust God with the faith of Noah? Are you prepared to ride out the storm?

Anne Graham Lotz, founder and president of AnGeL Ministries, has passionately carried the Word of God around the world for the past 25 years. The daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, Anne launched the popular Just Give Me Jesus women's conferences in 2000. For more information, visit www.angelministries.org.

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