Stability in the Storm

From the God's Best for My Life devotional by Lloyd John Ogilvie:

'A stable person established in the gospel can be distinguished by patience. He or she knows that God is in charge and is working out His purposes...

...trials produce patience. In the midst of difficulty we are to ask the Lord for wisdom, asking in faith, knowing that He will give us exactly what we need to stand firm. The strength of a great oak tree is in its roots. The winds that blow against it only strengthen the roots.

James gives us a frightening metaphor for an unstable person: a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. But the One who is able gives us courage to match the wind.

"God, teach me to be patient, Teach me to go slow--
Teach me how to 'wait on You' when my way I do not know....
Teach me how to quiet my racing, rising heart,
So I may hear the answer You are trying to impart....
Teach me to let go, dear God, and pray undisturbed until
My heart is filled with inner peace, and I learn to know Your will."
   -  Helen Steiner Rice'