Learning to Grow In Life’s Storms

Bible Passage

James 1:2–4 CSB

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Introduction

Church, i need you to know tonight, Storms don’t just visit your front door to destroy—they come to develop!

You see, a storm is not just a test—it’s a teacher.

It’s not just a setback—it’s a setup for your growth!

When the clouds gather and the thunder rolls, it’s easy to think God has forgotten about you.

But let me tell you, storms are not a sign that God has left you; they are proof that God is working on you!

Storms are God’s gym; they will strengthen you, stretch you, and show you what’s inside you.

Listen to me, family: If you never had a storm, you’d never learn how to grow.

If you never had a problem, you’d never know God’s power.

If you never had a struggle, you’d never discover your strength!

Some of us want the blessing without the breaking, the testimony without the test, the crown without the cross.

But God says, “I use storms to shape you, to mold you, to make you into who I’ve called you to be.”

Storms are not the enemy—they are the instrument!

They come to reveal, to refine, and to raise you up to new levels.

So tonight, don’t just survive your storm—learn to grow in it!

Because the storm is not just happening to you, it’s happening for you.

God is using it to bring out the best in you, to take you from where you are to where He wants you to be.

Context

In our text for consideration James writes to believers who are scattered, battered, and broken by all kinds of storms.

These were people who knew what it meant to lose everything, to be misunderstood, to be pushed out and pressed down.

Yet James doesn’t say, “Cry about it.”

He doesn’t say, “Complain about it.”

He says, “Count it all joy!”

Now, let’s be real—nobody wakes up in the morning and says, “Lord, send me a storm!”

But James is telling us that there’s a blessing in the breaking, a lesson in the loss, and a miracle in the mess.

He says, “Count it all joy,” not because the storm feels good, but because the storm is doing you good.

Why?

Because every storm is an invitation to transformation!

You don’t come out the same way you went in!

You come out wiser, stronger, and more mature than you ever thought possible!

God doesn’t waste your pain—He uses it to produce your purpose!

The storm is not just about what you’re going through, it’s about what God is growing in you.

He’s using the wind to blow away what you don’t need, the rain to water your roots, and the thunder to wake up your destiny.

So don’t despise your storm—embrace it, because God is up to something greater than you can see!

Illustration

Anybody here ever watched a diamond being made?

A diamond doesn’t start out shining.

It starts out rough, hidden, and under pressure!

It takes heat, it takes time, and it takes a whole lot of pressure for that diamond to shine like it was created to shine!

Some of us are frustrated by the pressure, but God is using that pressure to bring out our shine!

You see, if you want to be a diamond, you can’t be afraid of the dark.

If you want to shine, you can’t run from the pressure.

The very thing you think is going to break you is the thing God is using to bless you.

Tell your neighbor: “Don’t curse the pressure—it’s making you priceless!”

That storm you thought would break you is the same storm God is using to bless you!

The pressure is not punishment—it’s preparation.

The heat is not to destroy you—it’s to develop you.

God is making something beautiful out of your brokenness, something valuable out of your vulnerability.

So hold on, because your shine is coming!

So the question is asked of us how do we grow in the storm?

1. We Need the Power of Perspective

Church, storms will try to cloud your vision, but don’t let what you see make you forget what God said!

Perspective is everything.

When you’re in the middle of the storm, it’s easy to focus on the wind and the waves, to get overwhelmed by what’s going wrong.

But God is calling you to lift your eyes above the storm and see what He’s doing in the midst of it.

Perspective is choosing to see the lesson, not just the loss.

It’s asking, “God, what are you teaching me in this season?

What are you growing in me through this pain?

”Don’t just ask, “Why me, Lord?”

Ask, “What are you teaching me, Lord?”

Sometimes God has to shake things up to wake things up inside of you!

The storm is not just about what’s happening around you—it’s about what God is doing inside you.

Your storm is a classroom—don’t drop out!

Let God teach you, stretch you, and transform you, because you’re not just passing through the storm—the storm is passing through you, making you new!

When you change your perspective, you change your experience.

You start to see that the storm is not your enemy—it’s your elevator.

It’s taking you higher, growing your faith, and preparing you for what’s next.

2. We Need the Power of Patience

I know we live in a drive-thru, microwave, “I want it now” world—but spiritual growth takes time!

Don’t rush the process—trust the process!

The same God who brought you into the storm is the God who will bring you out—but you gotta let patience have its perfect work!

Growth is not instant, it’s incremental.

You may not see it happening, but roots grow deep in the dark!

The storm is not just working on your situation—it’s working on your soul!

Sometimes God will leave you in the storm a little longer, not because He’s punishing you, but because He’s preparing you.

He’s building character, endurance, and resilience in you.

Don’t pray for the storm to be over—pray to grow through it!

Patience is not just waiting—it’s how you wait.

It’s trusting that God’s timing is perfect, even when you don’t understand it.

It’s believing that what God started in you, He will finish.

So hold on, keep trusting, and let patience do its work.

Because when you come out of this storm, you’ll be stronger, wiser, and more complete than you were before.

3. We Need the Power of Surrender

Some storms can’t be managed—they can only be surrendered to God!

Stop trying to control it, calculate it, or complain about it—and start surrendering it!

When you finally let go, God takes the wheel and guides you through.

It’s not weakness to surrender—it’s wisdom!

The safest place in any storm is in the hands of the Savior!

Some of us are exhausted because we’re fighting what God is trying to fix!

We’re trying to row our own boat, steer our own ship, and fix our own problems.

But God is saying, “Let go, and let Me handle it.”

Surrender is not giving up—it’s giving over.

It’s saying, “God, I trust You more than I trust myself. I believe You can do more with my storm than I ever could.”

When you surrender, you invite God’s peace into your chaos, His strength into your weakness, and His wisdom into your confusion.

The storm may not stop right away, but you’ll have a calm in the middle of it, because you know who’s holding you.

Let go, and let God grow you!

Closing

As I get ready to take my seat, let me tell you:

Storms don’t last, but what God builds in you during the storm does!

Don’t waste your storm—let it mature you, let it mold you, let it make you!

You are not just a survivor—you are a student in God’s school of storms!

You may walk in broken, but you’ll walk out blessed!

You may walk in confused, but you’ll walk out complete!

You may walk in weary, but you’ll walk out wise!

Because God is growing you for greater!

So when the thunder rolls and the winds blow, lift your hands and say, “This is my season to grow—right in the middle of the storm!”

Because after every storm comes new growth,

after every trial comes new testimony,

and after every night comes a new morning!

Storms don’t cancel your calling—they cultivate it!

So count it all joy, because you’re not just going through the storm—you’re growing through the storm!

Tell somebody on your row, “I’m growing in my storm!”

Can somebody praise God for the growth that’s coming out of your pain?

Because when the storm is over, you’ll look back and say, “If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side, I never would have made it!”

So stand strong, stand tall, and let God grow you in the storm!