Sometimes life is hard. It’s just one curveball after the other and it feels as if life is falling apart piece by piece. Have you been there? I suspect so. You may be there right now.

I’ve been there. When I was planning my fourth book launch a while ago, a couple of curveballs came flying right at me. The arrangements were going well. Volunteers were offering to assist in the best ways possible – in the Cape and in Pretoria. We wanted to give our guests a high-quality get-together.

But alas! A few weeks before the event I got a call informing me that the consignment of books from India had missed the boat and will not arrive in time. Eish! It feels as if the whole house of cards had fallen down. What now? Everything has been arranged – the food, the artists, the people, the venues. How can you have a launch without the books?

While I was literally tearing the hair out of my head, I noticed an e-mail from a Crossroads reader suddenly appearing on my screen:

I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

I read it over and over again and this short verse immediately calmed the storm inside me. At that specific moment, God used someone to make me stop, to put aside the emotions, and know the truth: You are not alone in this storm. Yes, you may be a lot smaller and weaker than the storm, but someone is with you to fight against the storm with you. The One who can calm every storm.

Sometimes we are slow to remember the simple truths. We forget what Jesus had done for us. We forget about his never-ending love for us. We forget that we are ¹³… so loved by God!

Do you know how much God loves you? Do you remember that He loves you so much that he sacrificed his son on the cross for you? Yes, that is definitely not lip service. God walked the talk and proved his love on a wooden cross.

The Bible calls us beloved of God. This love is more than a love among friends who respect one another. The love that Jesus has for us is exactly like the love between marriage partners. They cannot stop looking at one another. They cannot but serve one another in everything. They give themselves fully to one another.

That kind of love and more is what Jesus has for you. When He looks at you, his heart simply melts. There’s nothing that you can do to make Him love you more.

And amidst the storms around me with a load of books still sitting in an Indian harbour, I could calm down, because my loving Father’s love is not just lip service. He loves me and He will help me. He will take my hand and help me to keep my eyes on Him in the midst of the storm.

And this old gospel song made so much more sense to me:

Till the storm passes over

And the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand

In the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Reflection

How big is the storm around you?

Do you believe that Jesus walks with you?

Do you believe that He can calm the storm?

Prayer

Lord, I believe You love me. I believe I am your beloved. I need You so much. Amen.