Finding Strength through Life's Storms - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 1
Finding Strength through Life's Storms
By Melinda Eye Cooper
Bible Reading:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13 NIV
Living in middle Tennessee for the past thirty-plus years, I can attest that we rarely see much snow. Schools often close if the forecast calls for anything frozen, including flurries. But we’ve had a few serious winter storms, and they almost always involve ice.
In January of 2026, one of those storms came through our area.
We did our best to prepare in case the power went out. We’d stocked up on bread, bottles of water, and snacks. My husband brought a generator home from work to help keep our refrigerator running and a small space heater. Thankfully, we had a wood-burning fireplace, so we figured at least we’d keep warm.
Snow started turning into sleet on Saturday and eventually turned to freezing rain. Temperatures plummeted. Tree branches snapped under the weight of accumulating ice, falling on power lines. The sky flashed when a transformer blew with a loud pop.
Sunday, early in the morning, we lost power, and so did our neighbors. We tried to stay warm using the space heater and fireplace, but our house grew frigid. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. We barely slept the first night, even though we were using nearly every blanket we could find.
It didn’t take long for reality to sink in. The power could be out for days or a week.
Our neighbors texted the next afternoon that they were heading to Kentucky to stay in a hotel. The storm wasn’t nearly as bad there. We did the same, taking our dog with us.
Getting inside a warm hotel room with a nice soft bed was a sweet relief. The lights worked. The television worked. And a hot shower was minutes away. It didn’t take long to get nice and comfortable.
When we received notice that power had been restored to our area a couple of days later, we made our way back home. The drive revealed a lot of damage. Even though the thick ice covering trees and grass glistened in the sunlight and was beautiful in a terrible way, the storm mostly left a trail of destruction with downed trees, telephone poles, and broken tree branches in its wake. The storm and loss of power over the next several days (and a couple of weeks for some) caused a lot of problems, and sadly, some folks didn’t survive.
We came home to a mess. Electric cords were draped everywhere, from hooking things up to the generator, and blankets were piled up. It was freezing inside the house. The heat was on, but it took a long time for the house to warm back up.
Honestly, seeing the mess reminded me just how much we really need power in our homes. We rely on it heavily for day-to-day life. It runs the stove, HVAC unit, refrigerator, freezer, water heater, washer and dryer, lighting, appliances, and television. Almost everything.
Even with our great efforts to prepare for a lack of power during the storm, it was still terrible. Our home quickly became uncomfortable without electricity. It seemed we could do nothing.
We need power.
Standing amidst the mess, it hit me spiritually. We need the Holy Spirit at every moment of our lives. We can’t do anything good without Him; we’d be uncomfortable, cold, and powerless.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
As a saved person, I’m deeply thankful for what Jesus did for me. I’m still in love with Him after many years as a Christian. But to be honest, I’m just beside myself that God also gave us the indwelling, powerful Holy Spirit to help us in life.
He does so many things for us, including:
- Reveals Jesus
- Convicts us of sin
- Teaches us
- Reminds us
- Encourages us
- Protects us
- Guides us
- Warns us
- Gives us hope and spiritual gifts
- Tells us the truth
- Helps us pray
- Never leaves or forsakes us
When a storm of life comes, whether it is a financial struggle, divorce, or the death of a loved one, we may be brought to our knees. The powerful Holy Spirit is with us in these hardships. He is our shelter when these storms blow through.
Those difficult times show us just how much we need Him and rely on His power. They draw us into a deeper, more trusting relationship with our beloved Father.
Father, thank You for giving us the powerful Holy Spirit to lead us through our lives. Helping us to grow closer to You and more like Jesus. In His name, Amen.
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Yaraslau Mikheyeu
Melinda has been honored to be a Selah Awards finalist for online articles and was a finalist for the 2023 Writer of the Year Award with Serious Writer, as well as a 2024 Semi-finalist for the ACFW Genesis Contest.
Visit her website here to receive blog posts via email. You can follow her on Facebook here or Instagram here.
Her book of articles and devotions is available here, and a short devotional about the Places God Takes Us here.
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