January 30, 2024

One of the most amazing people I’ve ever known was a woman in our church in Phoenix named Bev. Bev suffered from multiple health issues that caused her all kinds of pain, discomfort, and disability. It seemed like she was always in and out of medical care facilities, doctors’ offices, and hospitals where she was having procedures done. But it wasn’t the fact that she had so many health issues that made her special. It was her attitude and her faith. Whenever I would ask her how she was doing, her answer was always the same. “I’m blessed!” Whenever she emailed me, it was to share some blessing God had given her or to thank me for some message I’d preached. Life came at Bev HARD. But Bev stood sweet and faithful until the day Jesus took her home.
Here’s the point. Hard stuff is a part of life. Death, disease, injury, tragedy, setbacks, and disasters are a part of all our lives. Some of us may get more than others, but all of us will have to endure them at one time or another. Jesus didn’t say that if we followed Him faithfully, we’d escape the storms. He said that we’d have the strength to ENDURE the storms. If Bev had not been anchored in the love and grace of God, she could have easily lived a life of bitterness and anger. Her storms were many, and they were continuous and unfair. But her faith held tight to Jesus, and He held her close through it all. So she endured her “unfair” life with an uncommon joy.
The storms are coming. Are you prepared for them? Jesus is not offering you exemption, but He is offering you companionship, endurance, and strength. If you will hold onto Him, He promise is that He will hold onto you. Some people fall apart when the storms come. Other people stand steady and strong. Which one you’ll be will be determined by who or what you build your life on. Take a lesson from Bev. Build on Jesus. That’s God’s Word for you today.