We know that Jesus will always see us through any storm. We know, as the British preacher, Graham Scroggie, has put it, "A storm with Christ is better than a calm without Him." Knowing that, we still seem to respond to the storms of life with anger.

Finally, as I read this story, I also realized How often I have stood amazed at the work of God's hand when the storms are passed!

I confess there have been times in my life when, in times of calm, my relationship to my Savior has not been as strong as it should be. And there have been times that my first reaction to the storms of life has been anger and fear, not faith. But I must tell you that time and time again, I have looked back -- after the storms have passed -- in amazement and awe.

I have to admit that things have not always turned out as I might have wished. There have been times when, instead of stilling the storm around me, God has stilled the storm within me.

In his book entitled A Spiritual Autobiography, William Barclay tells of the time his 21-year-old daughter and her fiance were drowned in a yachting accident. He wrote, "God did not stop that accident at sea, but he did still the storm in my own heart, so that somehow my wife and I came through that terrible time still on our own two feet."5

As I look back over the stormy times of my life, times like when my daughter, Melody, faced open-heart surgery, I never cease to be amazed at the ways that God has worked in my life. Not only has He brought me through, but time after time I see how He used the storm to bless me. Like the disciples, I have exclaimed, "What kind of God is this?!"

A sculptor once ruined a huge piece of beautiful Carrara marble. It was left in the courtyard of the Cathedral in Florence, Italy, for almost a hundred years. Most sculptors were convinced that it was beyond repair. But in 1501 a young sculptor by the name of Michaelangelo was asked if he thought anything could be done with "The Giant." He measured the block and carefully noted the imperfections caused by the bungler earlier.

To his mind came the image of the young shepherd boy David. So he carefully made a sketch of that biblical character as he envisioned him. For three years he worked steadily, his chisel skillfully shaping the marble.

Finally, when one of his students was allowed to see the towering figure, eighteen-feet high and weighing nine tons, he exclaimed, "Master, it lacks only one thing, and that is speech!" From a ruined block of marble, Michelangelo had created one of the great masterpieces of all times.6

In much the same way, I stand amazed at what God is able to do with the trials and tribulations of my life. Admittedly, He has not yet created a masterpiece, but what He has done is remarkable. I may take Jesus for granted during the times of calm, and I may react in anger when the storms hit, but I always stand amazed at what God has done when the storm has passed.

Back in the days of sailing ships, one ship was caught in a storm at sea. Most of the passengers became panicky, rushing here and there in fear. Only one small boy seemed to remain calm and cheerful, even at the height of the storm. When someone asked him why he wasn't afraid, he replied, "Why should I be afraid? My father is at the helm."7

May God give us the faith to realize that no matter how threatening the storms may be that assail us, our heavenly Father is at the helm.

1. William J. Rauch, Clergy Journal, April 1982, p. 20.

2. W. S. Handley Jones, "He Is Not Risen."

3. Our Daily Bread, August 12, 1983.

4. Donald B. Strobe, Preaching, November 1987, p. 12.

5. William Barclay, A Spiritual Autobiography, p. 45.

6. Our Daily Bread, April 10, 1980.

7. T. A. Kantonen, Emphasis, July 1979, p. 7.