A prayer for when storms come
By Tammy Darling
Bible reading:
“And when evening came that day, he said to his disciples, Let us pass over to the other side. » Mark 4:35NIV
Listen or read below:
During a time of prayer, my husband heard the words, “Build a boat.” Asking myself what I thought that meant, I jokingly replied, “I don’t know. Maybe we’re going on a cruise.”
For weeks we pondered the meaning of these words, without any further explanation from the Lord. We just didn’t know what “building a boat” meant.
And then a storm broke out.
My husband reluctantly went to the local health center after feeling pain in the right side of his neck, which then radiated to his chest. After being sent to another clinic for further testing, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
From the initial diagnosis, my husband had perfect peace; Me, not so much. I feared losing my husband of almost thirty-five years; I had known him since I was nine years old.
Even though I feared God and stayed focused on the relevant scriptures, I still did not feel the peace that my husband felt. Even though my husband, at twelve years old, lost his father to cancer, he had absolute certainty that everything would be okay.
“Build a boat.” For what? Because we were going to the other side. Just like the disciples, we needed this boat to get to the other side.
After a long day, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side.” » Long story short: Jesus took a nap. A storm has arisen. Jesus calmed the storm, and subsequently his disciples.
God told my husband to “build a boat” because we were about to be rocked by a storm we never saw coming.
My husband’s thyroid was completely covered in a mass, and so the doctor said that the thyroid would need to be completely removed, along with the surrounding lymph nodes, “to be safe.” The doctor was convinced that surgery would cure this “easily treatable” cancer and that everything would be fine.
Given all these positives, I was not prepared for the surgeon’s first words after a three-hour operation: “The operation did not go as planned.” (Major waves rock the boat here.)
This surgeon, although excellent in his field, is known for his frankness. My heart hit the floor and I was speechless. I held my breath as the surgeon continued, “The mass was bigger than I thought…attached to the back of his throat…I couldn’t catch all of the cancer…the right side of his throat is paralyzed.” »
A T-Rex entering the waiting room couldn’t have been more shocking. When the surgeon asked me if I had any questions, all I could do was say no. I had all the questions; I was just in shock and unable to speak.
I remembered the boat my husband had been commissioned to build and the message behind it. Although we would have liked to see instant healing, God had other plans. God wanted to help us. Through the trial. Through uncertainty. Through the storm. On the other side.
My husband was going to get through it, and that was mostly what I believed now, but I also believed that it was something that Jesus wanted us to go through, just like his disciples. And I had no idea how long it would take me to get to the other side. Since it was impossible to remove all of the cancer, additional treatment would be necessary.
Eight months later, after a $48,000 radiation pill, a full body scan revealed my husband was cancer free. The cancer was completely eradicated, but not in the way or in the time frame we had hoped.
Getting to the “other side” was difficult, I’m not going to lie. These in-between moments can test faith like nothing else. Like the disciples, all I could see was the waves hitting the sides of the boat and the feeling of the wind rocking me back and forth. Perhaps this is why Jesus asked his disciples after calming the storm: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Like the man whose son needed deliverance Mark 9:24I could only answer: “I believe; help me overcome my unbelief. »
Being battered and tossed by the waves of life is like that sometimes, isn’t it? But here’s the thing: Jesus is in the boat with us. We are not alone!
And we need these in-between moments, as much as we would like to avoid them. These in-between moments are sacred. Saint. Some of the greatest growth we will ever experience comes from going through something to get to the other side. These are moments that grow our faith and trust in God.
Let us pray:
Jesus,
We thank you that even through the most violent storms, you are with us. Knowing this, we can rest, even take a nap, as You did in the boat when the storm was raging. When You say we are going to the other side, we are assured that we will overcome whatever trials we face. You are truly with us in all things.
With grateful hearts we pray, Amen.
Discuss today’s devotion with others in the Your Daily Prayer Thread on the pedestrian crossing forum.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes
Tammy darling is the author of 1,600 published articles and three books. She writes from her rural home in Pennsylvania.
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