We all search for strength in hard times, but what do you do when the storm hits with a force that takes your breath away? The forecast said sunny skies, but the storm hit out of nowhere. One moment, you’re sailing on calm waters, and the next, a squall of a devastating diagnosis, a sudden job loss, or a fractured relationship descends.
The wind howls with fear, the rain pours down with doubt, and you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of “why’s?” and “what now’s?” The very foundations of what you thought was secure seem to be shaking.
If that’s you today, your knuckles white as you grip the sides of this rocking boat, I see you. Your pain is valid, and your disorientation is a natural response to the unexpected gale-force winds of life. I want you to hear me clearly: It is okay to name the storm for what it is. Name it terrifying, unfair. It is hard.
Faith isn’t about plastering on a smile and pretending the waves aren’t real. Authentic, resilient faith is about discovering, sometimes to your own amazement, that you can stand in the middle of the tempest without being completely swept away. It’s about finding a strength that is not your own.
So, where do we find that kind of unshakable strength when our own reserves are depleted, when we’ve given all we have and the storm rages on? The world tells us to dig deeper, to look within, to find our inner power. But when you’re truly at the end of yourself, you find there’s nothing left to dig for.
The Christian journey offers a different path. We don’t dig deeper into our own limited resources; we anchor ourselves to something—Someone—infinitely stronger and utterly unshakeable.
1. Anchor Your Soul in What Never Changes
In a storm, everything is moving. Your emotions are a turbulent sea, your circumstances are shifting sand, and your sense of security is being tossed about by every new wave of bad news. This disorientation is one of the most frightening parts of the experience. In this chaos, you need a fixed point, a North Star.
Need more hope today? John Piper’s Books
You can also read: Charles Stanley Books
This is the moment to plant your feet on the Rock that is God’s immutable character. His nature is your non-negotiable truth, regardless of what your feelings or the situation screams at you. God is good, even when your situation is not. He is faithful, even when people fail you.
The Lord is your refuge and strength, “an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). He does not always still the storm immediately, but He promises to be with you in the boat.
Practical Anchor-Holding:
Don’t let this truth remain a vague concept. Make it tangible. Take a notecard and write down three truths about God’s character. For example:
-
“God, you are my protector (Psalm 18:2).”
-
“God, you are my provider (Philippians 4:19).”
-
“God, you are close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).”
Keep this card in your pocket, on your mirror, or as a screenshot on your phone. When the panic rises and the waves of anxiety threaten to pull you under, pull out that card and read the truths aloud. You are not just reciting words; you are speaking eternal, stabilizing reality into your temporary chaos. You are actively redirecting your gaze from the storm to the Storm-Stiller.
Deepen your faith: Bible Verses About Faith
2. Give Yourself Permission to Rest, Not Quit
We often operate under a false notion that spiritual strength means fighting the storm every single second. We strain, we strive, we worry, we try to figure it all out, believing that if we just pray hard enough or have enough faith, the storm will vanish.
This mindset leads to spiritual and emotional exhaustion. It’s like trying to bail water out of a sinking ship with a thimble.
But what if true strength sometimes looks like stillness? What if the most faithful, powerful thing you can do in the eye of the hurricane is to find a moment of spiritual and emotional rest? This is not passive resignation or giving up.
It is an active, intentional choice to let go and let God hold the weight you were never meant to carry alone. Jesus didn’t say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and I will give you more tasks.” He said, “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
If you need strength today, explore this: Best Dutch Sheets Books for Spiritual Growth
The Practice of Sacred Stillness:
This looks like intentionally pushing the pause button on your problem-solving mind. For just five minutes, be still. Sit in a quiet chair. Breathe deeply, in and out, and with each exhale, release a specific worry into God’s hands.
Don’t feel pressured to pray long, eloquent prayers. Simple, desperate whispers are powerful. “Jesus, I need you. Hold me. I trust you with this.” In that surrender, you will find a supernatural strength—a peace that transcends all understanding—beginning to guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). It’s a strength you cannot manufacture through your own effort.
3. Look for the Lifelines God Sends
In the midst of pain, our instinct is often to retreat and isolate. We put on a brave face for the world, believing that admitting our struggle is a sign of weak faith. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your strength is not found in a stoic, lonely independence, but in the God-given grace of connection.
God rarely parts the seas for us without also providing a community to walk with us through the valley on dry ground. He often delivers His practical love and comfort through the hands and voices of His people. That timely text from a friend who just “had a feeling,” the meal left on your porch by a church member, the person who simply sits with you in silence without offering clichés—these are not coincidences. They are God’s tangible lifelines of grace, thrown to you in the storm.
Grab Hold of the Rope:
Fight the urge to withdraw. It requires vulnerability, but I encourage you to let people in. When someone asks, “How are you?” dare to tell a sliver of the truth. “Actually, I’m having a really hard time.” Let them help you. In doing so, you are not a burden; you are allowing them to fulfill the call of Christ to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). You are giving them the gift of being the hands and feet of Jesus. Your community becomes a living, breathing reminder that you are not alone in your boat.
If you’re waiting on God, this may bless you: Bible Verses About God’s Timing
The Promise in the Storm: Forged, Not Broken
The storm you are in will not last forever. I know it feels eternal, but it is a season. The winds will calm. The rains will cease. And when they do, you will look back from the safety of the shore and realize something miraculous: you did not fall apart.
The strength you found was not your own. Is for the Lord. It was the peace that defies understanding that guarded your heart. It was the faith that felt as small as a mustard seed, but proved to be more solid than the ground beneath you. You will see how the Anchor held fast, how the lifelines appeared just in time, and how the moments of rest renewed you for the next wave.
You are in the refining fire, and it is scorching. But you are not being consumed; you are being shaped. You are being strengthened in ways that only the storm can teach. Your compassion is deepening, your dependence on God is solidifying, and your testimony is being written.
The person who emerges from this trial will be someone with a deeper, more resilient, and more authentic faith—a faith that has been tested by the storm and has proven its worth.
Hold on, brave heart. The Anchor holds. You are loved, you are seen, and with God as your strength, you will make it through this.
