Ordinary Time

Pause

Everyone goes through storms. Some are a natural occurrence in life, and some are put upon us. But sometimes, it seems that as soon as you’re through one storm, another one is just over the horizon.

What gets us through these storms? For seafarers out on the ocean, it’s navigation equipment. GPS, compass, and satellite. What equipment do we use to navigate through life’s storms?

Whatever problems you may be dealing with this week, trust in the tools that God has given us to navigate this unpredictable life: the love of family and friends, the wisdom of Scripture, and the guiding force of the Holy Spirit.

Listen

So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down; then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for. Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people. Let them exalt God in the congregation of the people and praise God in the assembly of the elders.

Psalm 107:30-32

Think

Imagine that you had a friend who only called you to hang out when he or she needed help, but never came to hang out with you when things were going well. What would you think about that friend? It sounds like it is a pretty one-sided relationship, wouldn’t you say?

Sometimes I feel like I am that way with God, and I imagine that we are all that way to some extent. We are always the first ones to ask God for help, but sometimes we forget that gratitude and respect are due too.

This excerpt from Psalm 107 reminds us that we should pray and listen to God not only in our storms and trials but also in the calm and fruitful times of our lives.

Time and time again, God quiets the storm. God brings us peace and takes us to the harbor we are hoping for. So let us do today what this psalm asks of us: Let us “thank the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people.”

Will Bryant

Pray

Lord, thank you for lending an ever-listening ear to my hopes and prayers for this world. Help me to remember that you are not only interested in hearing of my pains and problems but also of my joys and triumphs. Amen.

Go

“Oh what good is it to live with nothing left to give?
Forget but not forgive, not loving all you see? [...]
You belong with me,
Not swallowed in the sea.”

Coldplay, 2005, “Swallowed in the Sea”