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
Since we work together with him, we are also begging you not to receive the grace of God in vain. He says, I listened to you at the right time, and I helped you on the day of salvation. Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation!
2 Corinthians 6:1-2
Think
Sometimes it seems that God has completely ignored our prayers. But have you ever looked back and realized in hindsight that God was there, answering your prayers? Maybe even exceeding them?
This week we have focused our meditations on navigating the storms of our lives. There is no way to avoid them. Storms will push you around, pelt you with rain, and make you feel that you have lost your way.
So how do we navigate through the stormy times of our lives? On the sea, mariners use a compass and the stars. In our lives, we use the help of our friends and family. We also turn to God in prayer.
The reading today tells us that God is listening to our prayers even when we don’t think so: “I listened to you at the right time.” Even when we think a storm has blown us off course, we may trust that God is there in the storm with us.
Will Bryant
Pray
God of the heavens and earth, I give you thanks for guiding me through the storms of my life. I thank you for granting me friends and family that help me navigate my way, and I ask for the wisdom and patience to trust in your will — even when I don’t know what your will is. 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”
