Losing Faith in God? How Praise Rescues Your Soul in a Storm

During the stormy seasons you’ll experience in life, you will learn important lessons about who you are and who God is, and if you stay close to the Lord’s presence, you’ll weather those storms with supernatural strength and peace from Him. Never forget you have an enemy who wants to “steal, kill, and destroy” (1 Peter 5:8) the promises, and the “future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11) God has for you! If you’re losing faith in God during a tough season, there is Hope in Jesus!

The feelings of losing faith in God is not a sin. In fact, it is because of the Holy Spirit that you recognize your struggle before your faith experiences a shipwreck. Many crash to pieces and depart from their faith because they simply give up and succumb to the storm’s power or they drift away from God instead of staying close to His presence.

Psalm 22:3 says that God dwells within the praises of His people and as you worship, His presence surrounds you in a unique and vibrant way that dispels fear, calms the storms within and gives you the joy you need to stay strong. The enemy knows you are struggling with your faith, so he is closing in for the kill, that is why you must close into God’s presence through worship.

You’re Not Losing Faith in God, You’re Fighting a Battle of Faith

It’s one thing to experience a shipwreck emotionally, but it’s entirely another thing to experience a shipwreck spiritually. Believers experience a shipwreck in their faith because, as they move through life’s more difficult seasons, they become weakened by the beatings of life’s storms.

If you don’t maintain your relationship with God in His Word, through prayer and in a lifestyle of worship that keeps your connection to the Spirit of God strong, you won’t withstand the wind and waves either and you’ll sink. Many who are angry or disappointed with God eventually depart from their faith altogether because they don’t trust Him – because they don’t really know Him.

If you love the Lord, but are struggling in life, worship is what will power your faith through the tough times. How does that work? Because true praise and worship are ministry to the Lord and are God-focused, instead of keeping the focus on yourself. When you worship the Lord and minister your thanksgiving to Him, your mind becomes fixed on Him, your eyes become fixed on Him, your heart, and your thoughts, dreams, and expectations.

When the biggest and worst waves of the storm come, everyone becomes battered and broken and devastated, but not everyone turns to the Lord in their pain. “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord,” Asaph wrote in Psalm 77. “In the night my hand is stretched out and does not weary…” 

Even in your worst moments, you’re not really alone and when you worship, you create an atmosphere where that welcomes the Lord in a more intimate way and His strength will carry you through the storm. Many turn away in hard times – and that is the difference between victory and victimhood. Remember, whatever it takes to break you, the enemy will send- and whatever it takes to make you, the Lord will provide.

…whatever it takes to break you, the enemy will send- and whatever it takes to make you, the Lord will provide.

~Alicia Purdy

When you fix your eyes on Jesus, your perspective shifts and you’ll begin to see things the way He does. The enemy wants you to see your life through your own natural eyes. God wants you to see your life with His spiritual eyes.

Your enemy wants to isolate you because he knows you can’t do it on your own. Draw near to the Lord.

Praise Will Keep Your Faith Alive in Life’s Many Storms

In Acts 27, Paul was on his way to Rome, as a prisoner. As he journeyed, the captain of the ship made a choice to sail “under the lee of Cyprus” where the wind was pushing their ship sideways into the shore, and they “arrived with great difficulty” at their destination.

Not wanting to shipwreck a second time, Paul warned the centurion saying that sailing under the lee again “will be with injury and much loss”. However, Luke recorded that “the centurion was persuaded more by the captain and the owner of the ship than by what Paul said.” (Acts 27:11) The result? Everyone shipwrecked and Paul’s words proved true- but God had the victory because Paul drew closer to Him. (Acts 27:23-24)

Sometimes the storms in life will come because of your own choices, and other times, you’ll experience storms and shipwrecks because of the choices of others that were thrust upon you.

Paul shipwrecked physically, but he remained strong spiritually because he drew near to God and God sent Him a divine word about his deadly situation! Everyone survived because through all the fear and anger he felt at his situation, he didn’t blame God. He didn’t turn his face from the Lord. He knew that there was no hope and no help apart from the Lord. Paul drew near to the Lord and he did more than survive his shipwreck- he saved everyone on board too.

If You’re Losing Faith in God, Don’t Let Yourself Sink – Swim!

“For there stood by me this night the angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying….” (Acts 27:23) Paul turned to the Lord when the terrible storm came and that is what kept him, and everyone else, alive. Was there damage and loss that was beyond Paul’s control? Yes. Everyone wants answers to life’s difficult questions, but if you’re losing faith in the Lord, you will be vulnerable to the enemy’s strategies to sink you and shipwreck your faith.

When life gets hard, some seek answers to life’s pain and questions apart from the Word of God and they become ensnared by the enemy through their own attempts to find reason, meaning, definition or answers apart from God.

People will express doubt, you must speak faith. People will express fear, you must combat that spirit with hope in Christ. People will challenge your trust in the Lord, but you must “lean not on your own understanding”. You will be tempted to seek answers apart from the Lord- don’t fall into the trap!

God is the only source of truth and revelation in existence. God doesn’t calm every storm. You already know, but He does have a wise purpose and a plan. So, if you’re losing faith in God, or if you’re experiencing a shipwreck, do what Paul did – draw closer to God, get a word to hold onto, and swim! The Lord will take care of you.

Thought for today: When God Doesn’t Calm Every Storm

Seasons of sailing “under the lee” are dangerous spiritual territory and they come to everyone, so you’ll need a revelation from God’s Word to keep going, to stay close to the Lord in prayer and to stay strong through worship, in case you have to swim to shore!

Seeking answers apart from the Lord will tempt you to fall into “other doctrines” like “fables and endless genealogies, which cause debates rather than godly edifying, which is in faith.” (1 Timothy. 1:4) This will leave you emotionally and spiritually vulnerable, ripe for the enemy’s harvest.

“Be careful,” Paul warned the church. “Lest anyone captivate you through philosophy and vain deceit, in the tradition of men and the elementary principles of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) While the rest of the world is panicked about the storm and shipwrecks, ask for help from other believers, and close inward to stay close to the Lord. You’re going to survive!

Let the Lord Rescue Your Faith, Read More About His Mighty Power: “Three Ways Jesus Christ is the Rock of Salvation that Cannot be Moved”

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of The Way of the Worshipper on Amazon – and AVAILABLE NOW you can also purchase The Way of the Worshipper: A Devotional Workbook for deeper study, personal examination and spiritual growth!