Thursday, August 13, 2026
His Presence in Life’s Storms
August 13, 2026
A compilation
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Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. … They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed.—Mark 6:47–51
Have you ever had a storm blow your life off course?
In Mark 6, Jesus sent the disciples ahead of him to Bethsaida while he went off by himself to pray. It wasn’t a long trip by boat, but the disciples were blown off course by a storm. When Jesus saw them struggling against the wind in the middle of the lake, he came to their aid.
Does your life feel like the disciples’ today? Maybe you had no intention of being where you are in your job, your marriage, or your finances. You’ve been blown off course by situations you couldn’t control. You feel like you should be at your original destination by now, but at this point you’ve given up hope of getting there. You just want to get back to safety.
Or perhaps you had big dreams for your life that you gave up on a long time ago. You’re not even worried about progress anymore. You’re just wondering, “Can I survive?”
What does Jesus do when you’re at your moment of desperation? Mark 6:48 says, “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.” Notice that he didn’t tell the disciples to come to him. He knew they couldn’t get to him. So he went to them instead. The same is true for you. When you’re at your point of desperation, Jesus comes to you!
I love the fact that Jesus did not stand on the shore and shout instructions. When you’re in a storm, you don’t need advice. You need a miracle! You need somebody to show up, and that’s what Jesus did. He intervened in the disciples’ storm.
This is the gospel: God doesn’t stand on the shoreline telling you what to do; instead, he comes out and meets you in your own storm—in your pain, fear, depression, and discouragement. He comes to you. What a God!
You may feel abandoned right now, but you’re not. The Living Bible paraphrase says, “I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm—I will come to you” (John 14:18). You can count on it!—Rick Warren1
With us in every storm
After a busy day of ministry, it was around sundown and they were physically weary. So when Jesus said, “Let us go across to the other side,” the disciples were ready to follow (Mark 4:35). They weren’t anxious about the trip; it was just one of many they had taken across the Sea of Galilee. ...
Unfortunately, this didn’t turn out to be the routine trip the disciples were expecting. Storms were not unusual in this area. … Suddenly, they found themselves in a very dangerous situation, when the high winds and huge waves began breaking over the boat one after another. The boat was quickly filling with water, and the experienced fishermen aboard knew they were in a life-threatening situation (Mark 4:37).
So where was Jesus in the midst of this? He was in the stern of the boat, asleep on a cushion. But His nap didn’t last very long. The frightened disciples woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). Jesus awoke from His sleep and rebuked the wind, speaking to it, “Peace, be still.” And just that quick the storm was over and the water was calm (Mark 4:39).
Didn’t Jesus care about these men who were handpicked by Him and closest to Him? Weren’t they obeying Jesus, who told them to “go over to the other side”? Why, then, were they going through such a turbulent time?
How sad the disciples must have felt when Jesus looked at them and said, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40). After this experience, they were amazed and said, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41).
No one is exempt from the storms of life. Remember, the boat Jesus and the disciples were on wasn’t the only one around. Mark told us that other boats were around them, so the men on these boats who may have been unbelievers also faced the storm. The Gospel does not tell us any more about them, but they faced the frightening situation without Jesus.
When we go through storms, we have an advantage over those who do not know the Lord. We are never alone in the storm; the One who has power over the wind and the sea is with us. … As we go through the storms, we can know we are being guarded by God’s power as we place our faith in Him. … As we trust Jesus during the storms we face, the storm may not stop immediately. … But we can be assured that we will come out of our storms with more understanding of the greatness of our God.—Barbara Robbins2
Rough seas
There’s a peace I’ve come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There’s an anchor for my soul
I can say “It is well.”—Chris Tomlin
I sang these words over and over, hoping that the repetition would procure me some peace. But I did not feel peace. My soul felt troubled, even terrified. Where is God in this mess? Where is God in this uncertainty?
I’m sure I sounded exactly like Jesus’ disciples when they were caught in a storm at sea. Jesus, undisturbed by the gale, was asleep on a pillow. The disciples woke Him saying, “Master, don’t you care if we perish?” Jesus got up and said to the sea, “Peace. Be still!” and the storm stopped and the sea was calm. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Jesus didn’t ask them this because they were afraid of the storm; it was because they questioned whether or not Jesus cared (Mark 4:35–40).
And here I was with the exact same fears: Don’t You care, God? My peace, and sometimes even my faith, is so connected to whether or not things are going the way I want them to.
Here are some of my peace stealers:
- Loss. I tend to live each new loss through the filter of all previous losses and feel past pain along with fresh pain.
- Surrender. The struggle when we know God’s will is in conflict with our own!
- Lack. When there’s something I need that I don’t have, it’s hard to accept peace.
I think it’s pretty obvious that these types of situations are times when peace isn’t expected, similar to how we would expect to be afraid in the middle of a big storm on a little boat tossing about on the sea. God doesn’t mind the scared response—He knows a storm is scary—but He says Jesus is in the boat with us, and we don’t need to question whether or not He cares.
Back to my troubled soul. I’d just lost a family member, suddenly and painfully. One of my kids was facing some serious health issues. Another one was facing some very challenging crossroads. Sometimes it all feels like too much, my peace slips away from me and, like the apostles, I question if God cares.
But of course, Jesus is with me in my boat, and He does care. I read that story again. I sang the lines of that beautiful hymn over and over, calling peace back to my soul, and it came.—Marie Alvero
Published on Anchor August 2026. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by Michael Fogarty.
1 Rick Warren, “Jesus Comes to You in Your Storm,” pastorrick.com, July 8, 2025, https://www.pastorrick.com/current-teaching/devotional/jesus-comes-to-you-in-your-storm-2025.
2 Barbara Robbins, “Jesus Is With Us in the Storm,” hopeandlight.blog, May 20, 2020, https://hopeandlight.blog/2020/05/20/jesus-is-with-us-in-the-storm.
Copyright © 2026 The Family International
Salmo 43 - Júzgame, oh Dios, y defiende mi causa contra una nación impÃa
Salmo 43. Salmo de David con comentarios de Dennis Edwards.
Muchos eruditos del pasado consideran los Salmos 42 y 43 como un solo salmo. En 37 manuscritos antiguos aparece escrito como tal. La gran mayorÃa de los crÃticos del siglo XIX lo consideraban como uno solo. El consenso general es que fue escrito durante la huida de David de Jerusalén, durante la conspiración de Absalón contra él.
Salmo 43:1: Júzgame, oh Dios, y defiende mi causa contra una nación impÃa; lÃbrame del hombre engañoso e injusto.
David pudo haber orado asà en relación con la persecución que sufrió a manos de Absalón. Se puede aplicar a cualquier persona que sufra persecución. Nuestras persecuciones a menudo se derivan de las acusaciones de un enemigo, ya sea familiar, amigo o desconocido. Como cristianos en una cultura impÃa, una cultura poscristiana, como a menudo se la llama hoy, podemos suplicar a Dios que nos libre de una nación impÃa. El Anticristo encarnará la plenitud del "hombre engañoso e injusto". Sin embargo, muchos lÃderes polÃticos del pasado y del presente, como Hitler, Stalin, Mao o muchos otros, han perseguido al pueblo de Dios y buscado su destrucción.
Salmo 43:2 Porque tú eres el Dios de mi fortaleza: ¿por qué me desechas? ¿Por qué ando de luto por la opresión del enemigo?
Bajo la persecución, nos sentimos abandonados por Dios. Nuestras oraciones parecen no ser respondidas. El cielo parece estar en silencio. La dulce presencia de Dios parece elevarse y, como Jesús en la cruz, podemos clamar: Dios mÃo, Dios mÃo, ¿por qué me has abandonado?
Salmo 43:3 EnvÃa tu luz y tu verdad; que ellas me guÃen; que me conduzcan a tu monte santo, y a tus moradas. Jesús es la luz del mundo. Quien sigue a Jesús “no andará en tinieblas, sino que tendrá la luz de la vida” (Juan 8:12). Jesús es el camino, la verdad y la vida. Él es la luz verdadera. Pero los hombres aman más las tinieblas que la luz, porque sus obras son malas (Juan 3:19b). Porque “el dios de este siglo cegó el entendimiento de los incrédulos, para que no les resplandezca la luz del evangelio de la gloria de Cristo, el cual es la imagen de Dios… Porque Dios, que mandó que de las tinieblas resplandeciera la luz, es el que resplandeció en nuestros corazones, para iluminación del conocimiento de la gloria de Dios en la faz de Jesucristo” (2 Corintios 4:4-6).
La palabra de Dios es luz. “Lámpara es a mis pies tu palabra, y lumbrera a mi camino” (Salmo 119:105). El apóstol Pedro nos dice que la palabra de Dios es más segura que una luz en la oscuridad. Si meditamos en la palabra de Dios y seguimos sus consejos, con el tiempo nuestros corazones serán iluminados por la presencia de Dios (2 Pedro 1:19).
Salmo 43:4: Entonces me acercaré al altar de Dios, a Dios, mi gran gozo; sÃ, al son del arpa te alabaré, oh Dios, mi Dios.
Cuando pasemos por el valle de sombra de muerte, ese valle finalmente llegará a su fin. Regresaremos a la luz de la presencia de Dios. Cuando eso suceda, nuestros cantos y alabanzas serán aún más gozosos, porque su presencia estará de nuevo sobre nosotros. Como se encuentra en el Salmo 47:1: «Batirán palmas, todos los pueblos; aclamarán a Dios con voz de júbilo». O como en el Salmo 100:1-2: «Cantad con júbilo al Señor, toda la tierra. Servid al Señor con alegrÃa; venid ante su presencia con cánticos».
En el Nuevo Testamento, el apóstol Pablo lo expresa asÃ: «Regocijaos en el Señor; y otra vez os digo: ¡Regocijaos!» (Filipenses 4:4). «Por nada estéis afanosos; más bien, en toda ocasión, mediante oración y ruego, con acción de gracias, sean dadas a conocer vuestras peticiones delante de Dios. Y la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús» (Filipenses 4:6-7).
Dios responderá a nuestras sinceras súplicas de ayuda. Responderá a nuestras oraciones. Experimentaremos su presencia una vez más. Pero mientras tanto, el apóstol Pablo nos dice que caminemos en agradecimiento y alabanza, y que luchemos contra las batallas mentales que luchan contra nuestras almas. Él dice:
Filipenses 4:8-9: “Por lo demás, hermanos, todo lo que es verdadero, todo lo honesto, todo lo justo, todo lo puro, todo lo amable, todo lo que es de buen nombre; si hay virtud alguna, si algo digno de alabanza, en esto pensad. Lo que habéis aprendido, recibido, oÃdo y visto en mÃ, hacedlo; y el Dios de paz estará con vosotros.”
Salmo 43:5 ¿Por qué te abates, oh alma mÃa, y por qué te turbas dentro de mÃ?
No te desanimes. No te desanimes ni te deprimas. Lucha por tu fe con alabanza y acción de gracias. Resiste al enemigo y huirá de ti. Acércate a Dios mediante la oración y la súplica con acción de gracias, y Dios descenderá y te rescatará de cualquier abismo en el que hayas caÃdo o de cualquier problema que estés enfrentando. La alabanza es la voz de la fe. Sigue alabando pase lo que pase y alabarás tu camino hacia la victoria. Tu alma no se abatirá ni se angustiará, porque Dios te exaltará de nuevo.
1 Tesalonicenses 5:18 y 24: “Dad gracias en todo, porque esta es la voluntad de Dios para con vosotros en Cristo Jesús”. “Fiel es el que os llamó, el cual también lo hará”. ¡Amén! ConfÃa en Él. La respuesta viene. Está en camino. Mantén la fe.
2 Timoteo 1:12b: “Porque yo sé a quién he creÃdo, y estoy seguro de que es poderoso para guardar mi depósito para aquel dÃa”.
O como Abraham, quien “no dudó, por incredulidad, de la promesa de Dios, sino que se fortaleció en la fe, dando gloria a Dios, plenamente convencido de que Dios era también poderoso para cumplir todo lo que habÃa prometido” (Romanos 4:20-21).
O como nuestros antepasados de la fe, quienes “todos murieron en la fe, sin haber recibido las promesas, sino mirándolas de lejos, y creyéndolas, y abrazándolas, y confesando que eran extranjeros y peregrinos sobre la tierra” (Hebreos 11:13).
“Porque quienes dicen esto, claramente declaran que buscan una patria… Pero ahora anhelan una patria mejor, es decir, celestial; por lo cual Dios no se avergüenza de llamarse Dios de ellos, pues les ha preparado una ciudad” (Hebreos 11:14 y 16).
Dios nos ha preparado una ciudad. “Antes bien, como está escrito: Cosas que ojo no vio, ni oÃdo oyó, ni han subido en corazón de hombre, son las que Dios ha preparado para los que le aman” (1 Corintios 2:9).
Romanos 8:38-39 “Porque estoy seguro de que ni la muerte, ni la vida, ni ángeles, ni principados, ni potestades, ni lo presente, ni lo por venir, ni lo alto, ni lo profundo, ni ninguna otra cosa creada nos podrá separar del amor de Dios, que es en Cristo Jesús Señor nuestro.”
Publicado originalmente el 25 de febrero de 2025.
Psalm 43 - A Prayer for Vindication and Deliverance
Psalm 43 A psalm of David with
commentaries by Dennis Edwards
Many of the scholars of the pass consider Psalm 42
and 43 as one psalm. In 37 ancient manuscripts it is written as such.
The great majority of critics in the 19th century considered it as
one. The general agreement of the critics is that it was written at the time of
David’s flight from Jerusalem during the time of Absalom’s conspiracy against
him.
Psalm 43:1 Judge
me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the
deceitful and unjust man.
David could have prayed such
in relation to his persecution by Absalom. It can be applied to anyone under
persecution. Our persecutions often stem from the accusations of an enemy, be
he family, friend, or stranger. As Christians in an ungodly culture, a post
Christian culture as it is often called today, we can plead to God for
deliverance from an ungodly nation. The Antichrist will embody the fulness of
the “deceitful and unjust man.” However, many political leaders of the past, and
present, be they Hitler, Stalin, Mao, or many others, have persecuted God’s
people and sought their destruction.
Psalm 43:2 For You are the God
of my strength: why do You cast me off? why go I
mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Under persecution we feel abandoned
by God. Our prayers seem to be unanswered. Heaven seems to be silent. God’s sweet
presence seems to be lifted and like Jesus on the cross we may cry out: My
God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Psalm 43:3 O send
out Your light and Your truth: let them lead me;
let them bring me unto Your holy hill, and to Your
tabernacles.
Jesus is the light of the
world. He that follows Jesus “shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life,” John 8:12. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He
is the true light. But men love darkness rather than light because their deeds
are evil, John 3:19b. For “the god of this world has blinded the minds
of them that believe not, less the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who
is the image of God, should shine unto them…For God, who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” 2 Corinthians
4:4&6.
God’s word is a light. “Your
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” Psalm 119:105.
Apostle Peter tells us God’s word is surer than a light in the darkness. If we
meditate on God’s word, and follow its counsels, eventually our hearts will be
enlightened with the presence of God, 2 Peter 1:19.
Psalm 43:4 Then
will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp
will I praise thee, O God my God.
When we pass through the
valley of the shadow of death, that valley will eventually come to an end. We
will once again come back into the light of God’s presence. When that happens, our
singing and praising will be even more joyous, because His presence will once
again be upon us. We will, as is find in Psalm 47:1, “Clap your hands,
all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.” Or as in Psalm
100:1-2, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord
with gladness: come before His presence with singing.”
In the New Testament,
Apostle Paul tells it in the following manner: “Rejoice in the Lord, and again
I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4. “Be anxious for nothing; but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:6-7.
God will answer our sincere
cries for help. He will answer prayer. We will experience His presence once
again. But in the meantime, Apostle Paul tells us to walk in thanksgiving and
praise and fight the battles of the mind that war against our souls. He says,
Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be
any praise, think on these things. Those things, which you have both learned,
and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with
you.”
Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Do not be cast down. Do not
entertain discouragement or depression. Fight for your faith with praise and
thanksgiving. Resist the enemy and He will flee from you. Draw nigh to God
through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving and God will come down and
rescue you from whatever pit of despondency you have fallen into, or whatever
problem you are encountering. Praise is the voice of faith. Keep praising no
matter what is happening and you will praise your way to victory. Your soul
will not be cast down or anxious, because God will set you on high once again.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 &
24, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you!” “Faithful is He
that has called you, who will also do it.” Amen! Trust Him. The answer is
coming. It’s on its way. Keep the faith.
2 Timothy 1:12b “For I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which
I have committed unto Him against that day.”
Or like Abraham who “staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what God had promised, He was
able also to perform,” Romans 4:20-21.
Or like our forefathers of
the faith, who “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth,” Hebrews 11:13.
“For they that say such
things declare plainly that they seek a country…But now they desire a better
country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore, God is not ashamed to be called their
God: for He has prepared for them a city,” Hebrews 11:14 & 16.
God has prepared for us a
city. “But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it
entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for them that
love Him,” I Corinthians 2:9.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Originally published February 25, 2025.

