What to Do When Your Storm Strikes: Principles for Facing the Crises of Life

By Guy G. Goodell

What to Do When Your Storm Strikes is the result of many years of ministry and problem solving in churches, evangelism, education, and missionary work.

The book is basically an exposition of Acts 27, a description of Pauls trip to Rome at the end of his life. It also includes details of the lives of Christians who faced a personal tragedy so great that it threatened their faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512788860

Guy G. Goodell

Dr. Goodell demonstrates how believers can implement the principles from Acts 27 in their lives when they face similar crises. The result is a life God’s choice of tools has shaped, making that life more effective in glorifying Him and accomplishing His will.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Guy G. Goodell, Ph.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8887-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8888-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8886-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017908262

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/25/2017

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1 Paul’s Trip to Rome

Chapter 1 The Storm Is Described

Chapter 2 Meet Bill and Mary

Chapter 3 Submit to the Unchangeable

Chapter 4 Control What You Can

Chapter 5 Get the Right Help

Chapter 6 Reevaluate Your Priorities

Chapter 7 Don’t Let Fear Get the Upper Hand

Chapter 8 Trust God

Chapter 9 Continue to Honestly Evaluate the Situation

Chapter 10 Don’t Make Major Decisions While Emotionally Upset

Chapter 11 Take Care of Your Body

Chapter 12 Be Thankful to the Lord

Chapter 13 Look for Creative Alternatives

Chapter 14 Anticipate Success

Chapter 15 What Will You Do When Your Storm Strikes?

Part 2 Jesus and the Storm-Drenched Life

Chapter 16 The Storms We Face

Chapter 17 The Servants of the Lord

Chapter 18 The Situation of the Disciples

Chapter 19 The Savior of the Men

Works Cited

About the Author

To my Savior, for the changes He brought to my life.

To my wife, Jean, for the changes she brought to my life.

Disclaimer

I have deliberately concealed locations and other specifics that might identify any person in the illustrations I have used. In the case of a real name used for an extensive quotation, I have secured written permission to do so.

While the events presented here are real, they aren’t linked to any specific church, location, or recognizable persons or ministries generally known to the reader.

When a name has been credited with a quotation or publication, it follows the standard patterns of the MLA guidelines, through which I documented borrowed material, available on the OWL website of Purdue University. The source has then been documented on the works cited page.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank all the people who have had significant spots in my life in over sixty-two years of ministry. This book is an expression of how some people who have crossed my path have helped to develop my relationship to the Lord as they expanded their own.

In addition, I want to thank those who have served as proofreaders for this work, especially Chris Carillo, the RN in the Glens Falls Hospital emergency room. Chris also provides the protocols for the hospital system. She is a careful, sympathetic, and precise reader who always offers special advice and practical suggestions.

Attorney Eugene Cunningham also reviewed some of my writing to prevent any potential invasion of privacy, defamation, or misuse of information. He is both an enjoyable partner at coffee and a wise counselor relative to the law.

My family (wife, Jean; and daughter, Miriam) listened as I read some of my sentences to them, and they offered suggestions for improvement of expression. I am so grateful for all their efforts to help me effectively say what I want to convey to the hearts of my readers.

I also extend appreciation to the staff of WestBow Press for guiding me through the guidelines and corporate policies designed to protect its authors and provide consistency in its approach to publications.

Most of all, my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, has made all the difference in my life. He took me from an abusive home, set me on a solid rock, guided me into lives that would be edifying to me, and blessed me far beyond any personal expectation I had.

May God use this book to help many others who face storms and floods of adversity, which seem superior to the grace made available to them through the Lord Jesus. His allowances always come dipped in His amazing love.

Introduction

T he waves reached fifty feet high, crashing onto the tanker’s deck and rushing to the captain’s bridge, where they seemed to try to wrench the bridge from its moorings. Visibility was negligible, and I stood awestruck by the power of the storm.

The scenario continued for the three hours we were in the hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. As the storm moved east, we were able to make it back to the ship’s port without any damage to the vessel. The captain remained calm throughout, and he managed the vessel with developed dexterity.

I was twelve years old. My dad sometimes allowed me to accompany him out to sea, where he worked on radio equipment aboard oil tankers and freighters. My experiences on the sea taught me respect for the power of natural forces.

My hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, was close enough to the sea for us to experience the fury of many hurricanes. One of my early memories is helping my father board up the large windows at his business to prevent breakage from the storm when it unleashed its devastating power.

After a hurricane, I have often observed large oak trees uprooted, vehicles turned over, power poles toppled, and on occasion telephone poles driven through concrete walls. The fury and power of storms have always amazed me.

Storms are frequently used in literature to illustrate the adversities of life. The Bible also includes storms as illustrations of the crises of life. Circumstances often crash on us like raging waves, and the accumulation of troubles frequently overwhelms us like rising floodwaters. Forces over which we feel we have no control lash out at us. The writers in scripture often referred to the same images.

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. (Ps. 18:4)

I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. (Ps. 69:2)

Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. (Ps. 124:4–5)

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. (Ps. 55:8)

In such times, we often resort to sources of strength we ignored during more pleasant times. We turn to God. We pray with an urgency with which we are otherwise unfamiliar. We remove the dusty Bible from its hiding place. We call on church leaders, demanding that they drop all they are doing to help us with the unexpected fierceness of our troubles. Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me (Ps. 69:15).

We know from the testimony of scripture that God promises protection for His people when they face the storms and floodwaters of the crises of life. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee (Isa. 43:2).

What should we do when the storms of life strike us with powerful forces? Hopefully this book will provide practical guidelines for preparing for the unexpected storms. It is intended to direct the individual to biblical principles that can provide the undergirding necessary to face disasters and devastation our own choices or attacks from others bring into our lives.

I have also included throughout the account of the apostle Paul’s trip to Rome an actual story as a parallel involving an unidentified young couple who faced a major crisis in their Christian lives. I have tried to show how they survived and expanded their usefulness through their proper handling of the storm God allowed in their relationship. You will meet them as Bill and Mary (not their real names).

It is my hope that what God taught me in times of trial will enable you to handle whatever trials the Creator allows in your life. His trials always come dipped in love.

Part 1

Paul’s Trip to Rome

Chapter 1

The Storm Is Described

T he phone rang, and I checked the clock. It was one thirty on a Monday morning. I picked up the phone and said, Pastor Goodell speaking. How may I help you?

Weeping greeted me.

Hello? I said.

There was no response, only more sobbing.

In the background, I heard, Let me have the phone. I’ll talk with him.

After a moment, I heard, Hello, Pastor. This is Bill. I’m so sorry to call at this time. Could you come to our house? Something tragic has happened.

I’ll be right there, Bill. Tell Mary I will be there. Do I need to bring my wife?

No, Preacher. Just come.

I informed my wife about the call, told her I would be going to Bill and Mary’s house, and got dressed. The night chill hit me as I walked to the car parked in the driveway. I wondered what the tragedy could be.

But wait a minute. I’m getting ahead of myself. The