PLANK 5 — WHEN THE STORM COMES

AND THEN IT BEGINS TO RAIN

Until now, the ground was dry.

We have spoken about realization.

About preparation.

About why we choose God.

About filling our vessel.

But eventually, there comes a moment when preparation is no longer theory.

A moment when the first drop falls.

Perhaps that storm will one day cover the whole world.

Perhaps we are truly living in a season where events spoken of by Jesus and the prophets are drawing nearer.

But perhaps your storm begins much earlier.

An illness.

The loss of someone you love.

Persecution.

Financial problems.

A war.

Betrayal.

Fear.

Loneliness.

A world that suddenly no longer looks like the world you knew.

And suddenly the question changes.

No longer:

“What would I do if the storm came?”

But:

“What do I do now that it is here?”

🌧️

THE FIRST DROP

Try to imagine Noah.

For years he had built.

Wood.

Beams.

Pitch.

Day after day.

And then came a moment when he heard a sound that changed everything.

Rain.

What had first only been God's warning, suddenly stood before his eyes.

The ground became wet.

The water rose.

The Ark broke free.

And from that moment on, Noah no longer determined where the Ark went.

He had no rudder with which he could steer the flood.

He could not stop the storm.

He could not send the water back.

He had to trust.

Perhaps that is one of the hardest lessons of faith:

You can prepare.

You can build.

You can listen.

You can obey.

But there comes a moment when you must let go of what you yourself cannot control.

GOD NEVER PROMISED THERE WOULD BE NO STORM

Sometimes a thought creeps unnoticed into our faith:

If I trust God, He will ensure that nothing bad happens to me.

But that is not what the Bible teaches us.

Noah knew God.

And yet the flood came.

Daniel trusted God.

And yet he went into the lions' den.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego served God.

And yet they were thrown into the fire.

The disciples followed Jesus.

And yet a storm came.

Paul served Christ.

And yet he knew imprisonment, persecution, shipwreck, and suffering.

BUT LORD... AREN'T YOU ON BOARD?

There is an event from the life of Jesus that perhaps fits this perfectly.

Jesus and His disciples are sailing across the lake.

Then a fierce storm arises.

The waves crash over the boat.

The disciples panic.

And Jesus?

He is sleeping.

They wake Him:

«“Save us, Lord; we are perishing!”
— Matthew 8:25»

Think about that situation.

Jesus is literally with them.

The Son of God is in their boat.

And yet there is a storm.

That means something important:

A storm is not proof that God has abandoned you.

Perhaps you think during a difficult period:

Lord, where are You?

Why don't You do anything?

Why do You let this happen?

The disciples probably had similar thoughts.

But Jesus was there.

He was on board all along.

WHY ARE YOU AFRAID?

Jesus stands up.

He rebukes the wind and the sea.

And it becomes still.

But before He does that, He asks His disciples a question:

«“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”
— Matthew 8:26»

That does not mean that danger does not really exist.

The waves were real.

The water was real.

The fear felt real.

But the disciples forgot one thing:

Who was in the boat with them.

And perhaps that happens to us too.

We look at the waves.

Another wave.

Another news report.

Another prediction.

Another problem.

Another reason to be afraid.

And before we know it, the storm has grown larger than God in our minds.

Then we must look again.

Not just at what is happening around the boat.

But at Who is on board.

WHEN FEAR BEGINS TO SCREAM

Fear is strange.

It rarely whispers.

It screams.

What if this happens?

What if you lose everything?

What if God does not help you?

What if you can't handle it?

And fear always wants you to answer now for problems that might only exist tomorrow.

But Jesus teaches something else:

«“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow…”
— Matthew 6:34»

Today has enough trouble of its own.

So when the storm comes:

Breathe.

Pray.

Look at what is truly in front of you.

Do the good that you can do today.

Help the one who needs help today.

And leave tomorrow to God.

You do not have to cross the entire ocean today.

You only have to stay in the Ark today.

WHEN DECEPTION COMES

Jesus did not only warn about wars and difficulties.

One of His repeated warnings about difficult times was about deception.

«“See that no one leads you astray.”
— Matthew 24:4»

That is important.

Because during uncertainty, people look for answers.

And when people are afraid, convincing answers can become more attractive than true answers.

There will be voices promising certainty.

People who say they know exactly what God is doing.

Perhaps predictions.

Perhaps spectacular signs.

Perhaps stories that seem to fit perfectly.

That is why we filled our vessel before the storm.

Know the Word.

Test what you hear.

Pray for wisdom.

And never be afraid to say:

“I don't know.”

That is sometimes wiser than accepting an answer just because it sounds impressive.

AND THIS APPLIES TO US AS WELL

That also applies to this website.

The Triune Gates investigates.

We compare.

We read ancient texts.

In The Cases, we sometimes ask bold questions.

We say:

“What if?”

But when the storm truly comes, no one should cling to our theories.

Not to our calculations either.

Not to a Case either.

If we saw something wrong:

let it go.

If a theory does not come true:

let it go.

If someone else's prediction fails:

let it go.

But do not let go of Christ.

Because this website is not an Anchor.

He is.

⚓

IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY

Perhaps this is even harder than fear.

Sometimes no answer comes.

You pray.

And the situation does not change.

You ask why.

And it remains silent.

You love God.

And yet it hurts.

Then we come back to Plank 3.

Why did you choose God?

Only because He would stop the storm?

Or because you love Him?

Job lost almost everything.

And in the midst of his suffering, he did not understand nearly everything that was happening.

We as readers know more of the story than Job knew at that moment.

That is important.

Job did not see what we see.

And perhaps that sometimes applies to us too.

We see one page.

God sees the book.

That doesn't make sorrow any less sorrowful.

But it does mean that our lack of understanding is not the same as God's absence.

Sometimes faith is reduced to one simple sentence:

“Lord, I do not understand. But I am not going anywhere.”

STAY TOGETHER

And now something that is easily forgotten.

An Ark is not a lifeboat for one person.

Noah was not alone.

And we too are not made to endure every storm alone.

When someone is afraid:

sit beside them.

When someone falls:

help them up.

When someone doubts:

do not judge them immediately.

When someone can no longer say anything:

pray for them.

When you are strong:

carry someone.

And when you are weak:

let someone carry you.

«“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2»

Perhaps today you have enough faith for someone who cannot find theirs right now.

And perhaps tomorrow someone else will have enough faith for you.

Stay together.

THE WATER CAN RISE HIGH

We must not give each other easy promises.

Perhaps the storm will be severe.

Perhaps we will lose things we are attached to.

Perhaps in certain times Christians will truly have to endure under circumstances we can hardly imagine now.

Jesus did not hide that following Him might cost something.

But He also gave these words:

«“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33»

Notice.

He does not say:

“In the world you will have no tribulation.”

He says:

“I have overcome the world.”

That is a huge difference.

Our hope does not lie in the promise that waves will never come.

Our hope lies in the One who is greater than the waves.

AND IF THE BOAT SHAKES?

Then we go back to what we have built.

Realization.

I knew difficult times could come.

Preparation.

I did not wait until the rain fell.

Why do I choose God?

Because I love Him — not just for what He gives me.

My vessel.

His Word.

Prayer.

Faith.

Love.

Forgiveness.

Discernment.

Hope.

And then something beautiful happens.

The storm might shake you up.

But it does not have to wash away everything you have built.

Because beneath all those planks is something much stronger than wood.

An Anchor.

THE FIFTH PLANK

We built while the ground was dry.

Now the rain falls.

Now the water rises.

Now we feel the Ark move.

🌊 Plank 5: WHEN THE STORM COMES.

When you become afraid:

look at Who is on board.

When you do not understand something:

stay with Him.

When people panic:

love.

When voices try to drag you along:

test.

When someone beside you falls:

help them up.

When you fall:

let yourself be helped.

And when the waves seem higher than anything you have ever known...

think back to that small boat on the lake.

The disciples saw the storm.

They saw the water.

They thought they would perish.

But they had forgotten one thing.

Jesus was on board.

🌊⚓️

The presence of the storm does not mean that God has left you.

Stay in the Ark.