God With Us, God In Us, God For Us

In the winter of 1992, while serving in the U.S. Navy, my ship sailed north out of Jacksonville. Within a couple of days, we were caught in a brutal snow and ice storm. Our 450-foot steel vessel was tossed like a toy on the waves—up, down, side to side. Sailors were sick everywhere.

I was a cook on board, but for those 48 hours, very few had any interest in food. It was bitterly cold, and each division had to take turns on the bridge, holding a heat gun to the windows just to fight off the ice building from the crashing waves. It felt like a losing battle.

The Holy Spirit has often brought this memory back to me and used it to teach me powerful lessons about life’s storms. From this experience, I want to share three truths: God with us, God in us, and God for us.

1. God With Us

Life is full of storms. Some we see coming, others take us by surprise. But the good news is this: God is with us in them all.

Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Paul declared in Acts 17 that in Him we live, move, and have our being. And the psalmist reminds us that there’s nowhere we can go to escape God’s Spirit—He is present in the heights of heaven and the depths of the earth.

Sometimes God even allows storms to reposition us, much like Jonah and the whale. What feels like disaster may actually be His mercy, nudging us back into alignment with His destiny for our lives.

James 1:2-4 encourages us to see trials as opportunities for growth:
“When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when it is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Storms can either defeat us or complete us. With God with us, they can blow us right into our destiny.

2. God In Us

Even more amazing than knowing God is with us is realizing that He is in us.

Jesus told His disciples in John 14:20, “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” The cross removed the ultimate storm of separation caused by sin so that God could dwell within us.

This changes everything. We are not left powerless in our struggles. Prayer, worship, and intimacy with God stir up His presence and power within. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:9, he served God “from his spirit,” knowing this is where God’s presence flowed.

John also reminds us:
“The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you… and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him” (1 John 2:27).

Like that storm at sea, outside our ship was danger, chaos, and freezing waters. But inside was safety. Our vessel was built to withstand the weather. In the same way, when God lives in us, He equips us to withstand life’s storms.

3. God For Us

Finally, because God is with us and in us, we can boldly stand knowing that He is for us.

Ephesians 1:3 declares:
“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Through Christ, every blessing and victory has already been purchased. Psalm 34:19 reminds us: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

This means storms don’t have the final word. Faith does. “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

When we choose to believe and speak God’s Word, heaven backs us. Angels respond to His Word (Psalm 103:20), and storms bow to the name of Jesus. What the enemy means for destruction, God can turn for destiny.

Conclusion

Looking back on that stormy night at sea, I realize our ship was built for that kind of weather. It didn’t mean it wasn’t rough, but it meant we were never without hope.

The same is true for you. Whatever storm you’re facing, remember:

• God is with you—you’re never alone.

• God is in you—you’re stronger than you think.

• God is for you—victory has already been purchased.

If God is with us, in us, and for us—what storm can stop us?