Living in NC, I have experienced a storm or two in my lifetime. Storms normally hit land, rage war for a day, then head back to sea. We, North Carolinians, know how to weather a storm – milk, bread and bottled water.

But could you imagine being in the storm for two weeks? Paul found himself in the midst of a storm for two weeks. Fourteen days of wind, rain, destruction. 336 hours of being tossed and turned, wet and cold in utter darkness. 20,160 minutes of panic, living in survival mode.

Two weeks in a storm.

But in the middle of the raging storm – God spoke, “Take courage.”

An angel of the Lord came and spoke to Paul. “Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.” Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭27:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul could endure the storm with peace and assurance knowing the storm may rage, devastation may happen but ultimately the storm would not win. The storm would not prevent Paul from reaching his destination.

How long have you been in your storm? Two weeks? Seven months? Three years? A decade? Take courage! The storm will subside. You will reach your destination. You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! All storms are temporary.

Ask God to give you a word in the middle of your storm. Ask Him to give you a vision for the other side of the storm. Then, stand in faith. Declare to your storm, “You can rage all you want but you can’t stop me from reaching my destiny. You can’t silence me. You can’t steal my peace! You can’t take my joy. You can’t steal my faith. You can’t kill me! I’m going to reach my destiny and take a whole bunch of people safely with me.”

Take courage. The storm is temporary. God is everlasting.