Why God Lets Storms into Our Businesses (And How to Get Out!)
Updated: Aug 31, 2021
Sometimes, when you’re following Jesus, He leads our businesses right into a storm.
Remember in the New Testament, the two times when the disciples found themselves in their boat in the middle of a storm. They thought they were going to die both times. They were in trouble, and not because they were doing things wrong. They were in trouble because they were doing things RIGHT. They were following Jesus. They were obeying what He told him to do. They were following His directions and His directions lead them right into a storm.
Think about this: if the disciples had not been in those storms, they would never have discovered truths about Jesus. There were things that they say about Him they had never seen before. They could never have learned these miraculous signs any other way except by going through the storms they experienced.
Always look for God in the way things are and not in what you hope they will be. Look in the way things are. See, God's not waiting for you on the other side of the trouble. He's not waiting for you to figure it out and eventually find your way through. No. Psalm 18:2 says the Lord is your shield, the power that saves you. God, in the middle of your storm, is walking with you, shielding you while working His way and His will. But you’ve got to trust Him in it.
So, when God says, "do you trust me in the storm of your business situation," well, then, you have a decision to make. Will you allow him to do what he wants to do and not fear the outcome? Because to fear the outcome says, "Lord, I don’t quite trust you." Will you allow God to do what he wants to do in the storm and not fear the outcome?
Finding Stability During the Storms
During turbulent times in business, it's important to find stability by focusing on what never changes. Don’t focus on what's changing because we don’t know where everything will end up.
So, on what unchangeable truths are you focusing? Well, focus on these Biblical truths.
God sees everything you're going through in your business (Proverbs 15:3).
God cares about everything you're going through on your entrepreneurial journey (Luke 12:6); God sees, and he cares.
God has the power to change what you're going through in your ventures (Numbers 23:19); leaders have been holding on to that truth for thousands of years.
He has the power to answer prayers (1 John 5:14); that’s unchangeable no matter how toxic your business partnership has gotten.
God always acts out of his goodness to me (Psalm 34:8). That’s never going to change, no matter what the financial situation is in your business. God is always going to act good to me and see me through it.
God’s plan is always better than my plan (Jeremiah 29:11); I may not see it, but it’s better because he’s a good God.
God will never stop loving me (Zephaniah 3:17). That’s never going to change in your life.
These are things we need to focus on while in the darkness of despair that we sometimes find ourselves in as entrepreneurs. Stay locked in on the things that never change: God’s love for us, God’s grace for us, God’s goodness for us.
Godpreneurs, remember this: no matter what I go through, God will go through it with me. Every failed venture, every critical phase of business development, every HR crisis. No matter what I go through in my company, God will go through it with me.
You will never be alone in Godpreneurship; God is running the business with you. He’s in the trenches with you right now. God has never been closer to you than He is right now. He'll never be further away than He is right now.
And remember the great promise of Isaiah 43 verse 2:
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." (Isaiah 43:2 NLT)
That’s what you want to focus on!
Maybe a little less listening to your fears and a little more listening to God. This will give you confidence in your company. This will provide you with stability in your sales. This will replace your financial panic with prayers of provision. This will replace your worries with worship. This will replace your anxiety with adoration.
You have to believe that God knows what is best for your business and that he will not abandon you. He will not let go of you during this slump. This trouble will not destroy you. You have to take Him at His Word when He says, "I will never leave you or abandon you." You have to take Him at his Word when He says, "I take all things and work them together for your good."
The seed of spiritual faith planted in the soil of entrepreneurial adversity, under the watchful eye of the gardener, will bring forth life and beauty in its season.
The Bible says that God makes all things beautiful in their time. Your business is no exception. The trouble that you are in will not last. The turbulence will not last. It is light and momentary compared to the eternal glory that awaits you.
It's all about your perspective; how you see your business’s trouble is how you will face the trouble. If you see it in fear, you’ll face it in fear. If you see it in doubt, you’ll face it in doubt. If you see it in faith, you will face it in faith. So don’t see terrible times as the end. See it as the beginning. You have to look through the eyes of faith, through a lens of expectation.
Remember this: it's not the end of the story for your business because we don’t know what the future holds! However, we do know who holds the future. We don’t know how it will go ahead; however, we’re not frightened by it because we know the end of the story. We know that God is in control of our entrepreneurial journey. We know that God is not surprised by this situation, that God is bigger than this, and Romans 8:28 is still true: all things work together for the good of Godpreneurs who love God with a business calling according to his purpose