5 Spiritual Tools to Help You Overcome the Storms of Life

A Noah's ark play at my children's preschool

Perhaps you have heard the saying, "Into each life some rain must fall." Well, what if what you're experiencing is more of a deluge? I've observed that trial often comes in numbers. People of faith know sprinkles, but we also know full-blown storms.

I've recently heard stories like this. Maybe you have too:

• I have cancer.
• My husband lost his job.
• I'm desperately overwhelmed. My life is full of good things, but I can't enjoy them.
• My son needs more therapy and is struggling to adjust at home and school.

When rain is falling in my life, I like to turn to the story of Noah (Genesis 6-9:17). He know a storm. In fact, he knew one that was so long and so strong that it virtually wiped out everything around him. Because Noah had no choice but to trust in God for his very survival, his story serves as powerful inspiration for us.

The thing that most impresses me about Noah is his faith. So often it's easy to think about our faith solely as an internal anchor when we hit hard times. But that wasn't the case for Noah. His was accompanied by the building of a huge, physical ark. This external ark was illustrative of his internal life. It was a tribute to his obedience to God, the very thing that saved him.

I see God highlighting the importance of physical steps that we can take through our storms in Noah's story. James is so honest when he claims, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). We can't do the work of God, but we can seek Noah's same kind of bold obedience to honor the One with our own life raft.

Just as Noah used everyday tools to build the ark, there are everyday spiritual tools that we can employ to successfully navigate adversity. Those tools, formulated as simple steps, will help us honor God in the midst of life's storms:

To read these five steps, please join me over at iBelieve.com. I am grateful for their support in publishing what I hope will serve as special encouragement for you or a loved one today.