The Storm You Didn’t See Coming

Some storms hit different. You know the kind — the ones that don’t show up on the radar. You never saw them coming, yet they hit like an F5 tornado. Those storms don’t just disrupt your life — they wreck everything.

It’s the kind of storm that turns your world upside down in an instant. One moment everything feels steady, and the next you’re clinging to anything that hasn’t been torn from your grasp. Maybe it only lasts a short time, but the damage lingers much longer.

We’ve all faced storms like that — the kind that shake the foundation of everything you thought was secure. And sometimes, those storms don’t come to destroy us… they come to awaken us.

For the last couple of weeks, a song has been running through my spirit — one I just can’t shake. This morning, as I continued to pray about it (it's unusual for me to have a song in my spirit this long), I realized why it’s been echoing so strongly. The Lord was bringing me back — back to a moment fourteen years ago when I found myself in the middle of a storm I never saw coming.

That song wasn’t just a melody this time. It was a reminder — a personal flashback of the place where He first showed me what those lyrics truly mean.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I ponder the work of Your hands. (Psalm 143:5 AMPC)

It wasn’t one of those storms where you can see the dark clouds rolling in or hear the thunder before it hits. This one came in like a freight train. It rocked me to my very core, and I’ve never been the same since.

I remember vividly what it felt like to be in the very eye of the storm — terrified, unsure if I’d survive, and unable to see any end in sight.

The truth is, I wasn’t walking with God then. I had been far from Him for years. I had completely left Him. Yet even in my rebellion, He came for me. The storm I thought would destroy me became the very thing that drew me back to His heart.

When Jesus told His disciples in Mark 4:35, “Let us cross over to the other side,” (NKJV) He knew exactly what was waiting on the water. The storm didn’t surprise Him — it revealed Him.

I was about twelve or thirteen when I turned my back on God. I had seen things in my home that caused me to hate Him. I even got to the point where I didn’t believe He existed. I had compared God to my earthly father — and I didn’t want any part of Him.

Years later, I found myself in the middle of the biggest storm of my life. I had made choices I thought were right for myself and my two children. I had finally left an abusive relationship — and that was the right thing to do. Please hear me — you should never remain in a place where you’re being abused.

But when the storm hit, I began to question even that. I was raised to stay in a marriage no matter what. I thought God was punishing me for every decision I had made. I used to view God as the punisher — quick to destroy you for one wrong move. I didn’t realize the storm wasn’t sent to punish me — it was a divine setup to get my heart back to Him.

It took two days of being in that storm before I finally called out to Jesus — and He answered.

He knew my voice. He heard me. He answered me.

In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me. (Psalm 120:1 NKJV)

That was over fourteen years ago. My storm didn’t calm instantly like the one on the Sea of Galilee, but He carried me through it. And in the end, His glory shined through the very place that once felt like devastation.

When I look back on that season, I can see what I couldn’t then — that God’s hand was in it from the start. What once felt like complete destruction was actually divine intervention. He wasn’t trying to break me; He was calling me back to life.

we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

Sometimes we don’t recognize His purpose until long after the waves have settled. But when we finally do, everything begins to make sense.

Not every storm comes as punishment.

Some are sent to demolish everything that exalts itself above God in our hearts.

Some are sent to turn us back to Him when we’ve drifted too far.

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. (1 Peter 4:12 NKJV)

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. (Isaiah 43:2 NKJV)

And sometimes, the storm is about revealing who God is.

The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. (Psalm 20:10-11 NLT)

That’s what happened to the disciples in Mark 4:35-41. They had already left everything to follow Jesus. They didn’t need to be chased down — they needed to see Him more clearly. When He rose and spoke, “Peace, be still!” they said, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:39, 41).

And that’s what happened to me.

In my storm, God revealed His true nature — not the harsh judge I imagined, but the merciful Father I had never known.

Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10 NKJV)

Since that day, I’ve weathered other storms. But none like that one — because it was the one that changed everything. The one that turned my life around for His glory.

Now, every time I face another wave, I don’t panic. I remember.

He’s still in my boat. He still hears my cry. And He still knows my voice.

You may be in your own unexpected storm right now — the kind that came out of nowhere and left you gasping for air. You’re not being punished. Maybe He's pursuing you like He was with me. Or it could be that God wants to reveal Himself to you in a new way — His peace, His presence, His authority over the wind and the waves.

He’s in your boat.

He hasn’t left you.

And yes — He knows your voice.

The winds may be howling, and the waves may be rising higher than you can handle, but remember this — you’re not weathering this alone. Heaven hasn’t turned a deaf ear to your cry. God hasn’t forgotten your name.

So hold steady. Breathe. The same voice that commands the waves still whispers to your soul — “Peace, be still!”

---

Don't miss out on new blog posts!

Subscribe to receive an email when one has been posted by clicking here!