Sing in the Storm

Dannah Gresh: Here’s Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: I talked to a woman recently who told me that she'd been through a major hurricane. She then described for me what it was like to be in the eye of that storm—how things had been so peaceful and calm, even though the front end of the storm had passed by. Now they were in the eye and the back end of the storm was still coming. But she described the sense of calm and rest while she was in eye of that storm.

Dannah: This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author of A Place of Quiet Rest, for September 24, 2025. I’m Dannah Gresh.

Have you ever heard that old song “singing in the rain”? I’m no Gene Kelly, so I’m not gonna try and sing it for you, but it’s in my head today because Nancy’s message is all about worshiping in the middle of the storm. It’s possible to have peace no matter what. Because to live in Jesus’ presence is to find refuge in the eye of the storm. Here’s Nancy.

Nancy: That's kind of what I picture when I see David in Psalm 57 describing the condition of his heart even while the storm is raging all around him.

We're looking this week at how to survive the storms of life and David is going through an incredibly difficult storm. Look at verse 7 and see what the condition of his heart is, even while the storm is going on. Now, this is not at the end of the storm; he's still in the middle of the storm. And he says in Psalm 57:7, "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast." Isn't that a great way to live?

Even while the storm is raging around you to find in the refuge in the wings, in the presence of God, the eye of the storm—a place where your heart can be quiet and calm and at rest, even while everything around you is in a state of uproar. That everything may be . . . I look around and see Holly, it may be eight children. She lives in a storm a lot of the time I would think. It may be a situation in your home, a situation in your workplace, or something that perhaps your church is going through that's a difficult storm.

That's not to say that you become oblivious to the storm around you but that even while you're walking through the storm, your heart can be quiet, steadfast, and at rest. I think of that verse is Isaiah 26 where God promises to keep us in perfect peace if our minds are fixed on Him.

Now, when I get my mind fixed on the circumstances, I'm going to be in a state of turmoil. My heart will reflect the circumstances around me, the storm around me if my mind is fixed on the storm. But when I lift up my eyes above the storm and find refuge in God and cry out to Him, then I will find that my heart can be quiet and at rest—steadfast and stable.

And remember where David is, he told us in verse 4, "I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts." This is not an easy time in his life. But he's saying, "Even with these lions, these people, these soldiers, these enemy forces, these circumstances, these troublesome people, these enemies who are nipping at my heels and threatening to undo me; while I'm in the middle of that lion's den, my heart is steadfast. My heart is calm and quiet."

You see, real peace and joy does not mean the absence of problems. It means the presence of the Lord Jesus in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the problems, and in the middle of that storm. Because He is my refuge, I am safe in Him. I don't have to be fearful. I don't have to fret. My heart can be steadfast.

Now we've seen that David was honest about the storms that he was in. He took refuge in God. He ran into the name of the Lord and he cried out to God. But I want to look at a fourth thing that David did as we look at this passage today. Verses 7–10 tell us, "I will sing and make music."

Where is David? He's in a lion's den. I don't know about you but in the middle of a lion's den, I don't know that it would occur to me to sing. But David says, "I'm going to consciously make an effort to sing praise to the Lord."

I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
  Awake, harp and lyre!
   I will awaken the dawn. (vv. 7–8)

David says, "I'm going to have private worship services with the Lord. I'm going to waken the morning, as much as these storms are heavy on my heart and nothing has changed since last night."

You turned on the news last night or you turned it on this morning. It's the same news, the same problems and the same storms. There are some storms going on in our nation right now. Nothing's changed overnight.

But David says, "I'm going to wake up in the morning and in a fresh, new way know that God's mercies are fresh and new this morning. I'm going to greet the day with psalms and hymns of praise." Singing expresses faith. There is something very powerful about singing to the Lord. I think that's one of the reasons it's one of the most frequently repeated commands in all of God's Word. "Sing to the Lord, sing to the Lord." It's not just that we're to sing to the Lord when we're at church and everyone else is singing to the Lord, but when we're in the middle of that storm, David says, "Sing to the Lord."

I was out walking early one morning not too long ago and as the sun began to come up, I did what I do almost every time I see the sunrise. I began to sing. But this time it was not as easy as at some other times. I was in the middle of a storm and my heart was prone to focus on the circumstances and on the storm.

But as the sun began to rise, I sang the hymn that I sing with the sunrise,

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father.
All I have needed Thy hand has provided,
Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.

("Great Is They Faithfulness by Thomas Chisholm)

And I sang not just the first stanza but also the second stanza and the third stanza, awaking the dawn singing to the Lord. You will find as I have so often that when, even in your storm, you sing to the Lord,  there's a freedom and a release that comes, a lifting of the cloud because your eyes have been lifted up above the waves to the One who is the Lord over the waves.

Now David says, "I'm not just going to sing privately before dawn, but I'm going to sing publicly." Verse 9:

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
   I will sing of you among the peoples.

He's saying, "It is not just a private matter of praise; I'm going to make praise my public practice. I'm going to lift up the name of the Lord and sing."

Do you sing in your home? Do you sing quietly in your workplace? Are you known in your community and with your friends as a woman of praise? Do you lift up praise to the Lord? I've quoted before John Wesley, who says, "Our task is to give the world a right impression of God."

And when we praise the Lord verbally, even when we're going through storms, we say to the world, "God is God Most High. He's the God over the storms. He's the God over the waves. This is not too great for Him." 

"The storms have lifted up their voice," we read in Psalm 93, "but the Lord on high is mightier than the voice of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." You know, our storms can become an opportunity for us to tell the world, our little world, how good God is and how great He is, to praise Him for His love and His faithfulness that He sends as His provision for us in the storm, to thank Him publicly in front of other people for God's goodness.

Why is it when somebody asks us how we are doing, we're so prone to groan (at least I know I am) or to sigh and to be exasperated? I do it so often. And then I look back and I think, What impression was I giving others about my God? Oh, life is so hard, oh this is so difficult, I am so tired and the storm is so great. It is great, don't deny it.

But even as you're walking through that storm and others may see the storm around you, what an opportunity to magnify the name of the Lord and to say, "God is still good. God is still great; He is the ruler over the storm."

When we sing to the Lord, when we praise Him, when we express faith, we defeat the enemy. I believe that Satan hates it when we sing. I think that's one of the reasons he tries to keep us so depressed and so discouraged that we won't sing. And that's when we have to run right into the face of our despair, our depression, our discouragement and say, "I will sing to the Lord. I may be crying so hard you can't understand the words, but I will sing and praise the Lord even while the storm is raging around me."

When we sing and when we praise, Satan is defeated. He's trying to use that storm to keep us discouraged, to keep us under the weather, to keep us from praising the Lord. And when we say, "I'm going to praise Him regardless, even before I can see the outcome, I'm going to praise Him," then Satan's lost that battle.

 

I think many times he just moves on and says, "I think I'll find somebody else to attack with that storm today." I love that passage in Habakkuk chapter 3, the last verses of the Book of Habakkuk. The prophet talks about a time when all visible means of support are removed. It's a time of great national tragedy in which he's speaking, but it can be applied to our times of personal tragedy.

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls . . .  (Hab. 3:17)

What he is saying is, "No matter what's going on around me, no matter how little food there is in our pantry, no matter how little money there is in our bank account, no matter how difficult this marriage is, no matter how impossible this situation at work is, no matter how little hope there seems for my son or daughter to come back to the Lord, no matter how desperate this physician's report is or the result of this physical test, no matter what . . .

. . . yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
   he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
   he enables me to go on the heights. (vv. 18–19)

So David says, "My heart is steadfast." The storms, they can rock my circumstances, but they can't shake my heart because my heart is rooted and founded and grounded in God. And so knowing Him, I will sing. I will praise. I will give thanks. I will be joyful in God my Savior.

There's someone in this room who needs to sing. You're in a storm and you've been groaning, moaning, whining, and complaining. Let me tell you, I know how to do that. But I'm also learning to sing, learning to verbalize praise, worship in the midst of the storm. Just say, "O God, You are more real, You are more present than anything that's going on around me. So, Lord, would You open my lips and open my mouth and let me sing Your praise." And when we do, God is glorified.

Dannah: Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has been helping all of us learn to be worshippers, even if the wind is howling all around us. We’d like to help you prepare for the storms of life and focus on the Lord. Endure: 40 Days of Fortitude will help you walk daily with Jesus, drawing grace for each step. Through Scripture and encouragement, you’ll learn to stand firm in Him.

We’d love to send you a copy as our thanks for your gift of any amount to Revive Our Hearts this month. To donate, visit ReviveOurHearts.com or call us at 1-800-569-5959.

A group of women was listening to Nancy as she taught this program. They shared some ways the Lord is helping them stay calm in the storm. Let’s listen.

Diane: It's so encouraging to know that God is our anchor. In every situation and circumstance, He is our peace. We can hold on to that and trust Him.

Woman 1: I really appreciated how you shared Psalm 107, and how your drew that picture that He not only stirs up the waves but He stills them; that He has a purpose in stirring them up to draw us to a place where we cry out to Him. That was really encouraging to remember that things in my life are not just happenstance or accidental. The Lord has a purpose for the things that He allows into my life.

Nancy: Is there even just one circumstance that you can think of in your life that was a storm for you, where the Lord caused you to realize that you needed to call out to Him?

Katie: Motherhood (laughter)

Nancy: In a word.

Katie: In a word. I have a son who is a mini me. There's nothing quite so humbling as watching your sins come out in a seven year-old. You want to make him stop what he is doing, but it's like, "Oh! I see that Lord. I think I need to take that log out of my eye first." That has caused a lot of storms in our family . . . having two very similar people.

Nancy: This is a reminder that storms can be good things. Children are precious; they are a gift from the Lord. Motherhood is a precious gift. But at times, the sweetest gifts can become things that expose our need of God.

Katie: They cause us to sin.

Nancy: They expose our sin. Even in that, if we can see that hand of God . . . He loves us. He wants to put us in a place where we realize how desperately we need Him. I don't know anybody who cries out to the Lord more than earnestly than moms. I don't care how beautiful and precious your children are, you still need God! You feel hopeless and inadequate and desperate for Him.

Sue: I love how Jesus will thread things together in your day. Today, my eyes caught the glimpse . . . You know how plaques and verses in your home can become commonplace. But I caught the one that says, "Be still and know that I am God." Which God knew I needed for today and upcoming days.

Then sitting here and having you bring up and remind us of the fact that the Lord reigns. Then the Spirit brought to my mind the verse from Habakkuk 2:20: "The LORD is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him." And how we really need that right now. If the whole earth was silent before God . . . that thought is amazing. But how I need to be silent before Him and let Him do His work in my heart and life.

Nancy: Sometimes the biggest storm is inside of us. It's not around us. It may be provoked by things around us, but it can be the storm in us—fear, anxiety, saying yes to too many things and then no margin to get it done. Sometimes the storm that God is wanting to quiet through our crying out is lifting our eyes up to see that He reigns over the storm in us. That's called peace, the peace of Christ.

It's not just these external things, it's the internal doubts and fears and insecurities and things we all have. On the outside we can look placid and we are doing fine walking through life. That's how you all look right now—beautiful, peaceful. But some of you know there is a storm going on inside. If there's not today, there will be when you get back home. He speaks peace, quiet to that storm.

The way you get your heart quiet is to lift your eyes up and look to God on His throne in His holy temple. You realize, "Yes! The Lord does reign. I don't have to figure all this out. I don't have to be super anything. I don't have to struggle. I don't have to strive. I can lean hard into Him and let Him reign, let Him take over."

Woman 2: Two-and-a-half months after I got married, six years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. And then my mother died a week after my last chemo. Because of the combination of my counts being low and the emotional stress of my mom dying, I missed her funeral. I was home with a real high fever. And it got even higher and I went into the hospital for a week. And my doctor couldn't find an infection. He just said that my body had shut down, and I almost died.

But I made it through that. And then my aunt died, whom I had gotten really close to after my mom died. She kind of took me under her wing. And in some ways I was even closer to her. After she died I had a miscarriage. They told me it was all right to get pregnant because I was doing really well as far as my cancer was going. But I had a miscarriage. And then a few months later the cancer came back in my bones.

But each time through all of these things, when I think about how real God was to me. It started at the point where, most of the time, I was in tears. I said, "God, I praise You in it. And I just thank You that You're the Lord of my life." And each time, I could just feel His presence so strongly. And now when I look back on all these things, I don't have bitterness or anger or anything like that because God was just so real to me. That's what I remember, feeling His presence so strongly through all the different storms.

Nancy: Praise demonstrates faith, faith that God is more real, more present in that circumstance than the circumstance itself. And faith pleases God. Faith is what says, "I trust You. You are great. You are still good. You are still true. Your ways are still right. Though I cannot see Your hand, yet I trust Your heart." And when we praise, when we verbalize to the Lord and to others the goodness of God, even when it seems that God is not good, when we exercise faith, we please Him. In that place, I believe God comes and sends deliverance to our hearts.

That is how come David could say in Psalm 57, "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast." As you read that passage and the context there, the verse before, it says, "I'm in the midst of lions." The verse afterwards, he says, "They've dug a pit for my path, they put a snare in my way. They're trying to trap me." And in the middle of that, he says, "My heart is steadfast. Be exalted, O God, you are great!"

You've heard me quote it before if you've been here very many times. And you'll probably hear me quote it many more times. G. Campbell Morgan, a great Bible teacher of the last generation said, "The supreme need in every hour of difficulty and distress is for a fresh vision of God. Seeing Him, all else takes on proper perspective in proportion."

Seeing Him. We're either looking at the waves—that's what Peter was doing. Well, first he was looking at Jesus. He had the faith to take Jesus at His word and get out of that boat and step into the waves, so he was looking at Christ. But then he remembered that he was on the waves, and he looked around at the circumstances. And he said, "I'm going to die, I can't survive this."

When we get consumed with the vision of our circumstances, we will get overwhelmed because life is overwhelming. Life is painful. Life is stormy. And there is no getting around it. And most of us spend much of our lives just trying to avoid storms, trying to get out of the waves.

Now, not every moment of life has to be stormy or wavy. Thank God there are moments when the storm does subside. But there are storms in life. When we get obsessed with, consumed with, focused on what's going on around us, we're going to be overwhelmed. We're going to get swallowed up.

I found myself in the launching of Revive Our Hearts, many days obsessed with the waves. And there have been more moments than I care to admit when I have felt, I'm going to drown. This is going to absolutely swallow me up. I am not going to survive this.

And humanly speaking, that may be true. But you have to come to the place where you say, "I'm not going to focus on the storm. I'm not going to focus on the waves. I'm going to lift my eyes up and focus on Jesus."

Now in order to say that, you also have to come to the place where you say, "If it takes me under, that's okay because it's not about me. It's about Him. Now I'm standing here sounding like it's very easy to say that. It's not! It's very hard to say that. It takes faith. It takes obedience. It takes surrender. It takes brokenness.

And what God is doing in my life through this process is a whole new level of brokenness. When we get stripped of all our own resources, stripped of all our own abilities, when we're so far beyond what we can handle that if God doesn't come through, we won't make it.

But we've got to keep reminding each other that He is going to come through! He has never failed. He's not going to start now.

Dannah: That’s Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth in day three of our series, "Storm Shelter." If you missed any of the earlier programs in the series and want to listen in, you can do that at ReviveOurHearts.com by searching the title “Storm Shelter.” You can also send a link for the series to a friend or family who needs shelter in their own storm. 

I also want to let you know about an exciting challenge kicking off on Monday, October 6. It’s called “Quiet Rest: A 30-Day Bible Reading Challenge.” When you sign up to participate, you’ll receive thirty days of emails containing a Scripture passage, reflection questions, and a quote from Nancy. The goal is to help you get into a healthy Bible-reading rhythm.

We want to do this before 2026 rolls around because, get this—starting in January, we’re going to be reading through the entire Bible together . . . cover to cover throughout the entire year. So The Quiet Rest challenge? It’s your warm-up! Sign up at ReviveOurHearts.com/challenges.

Tomorrow, Nancy will be continuing in the same series, and she’s going to encourage you to view your circumstances as an opportunity for God to be glorified. Please be back for Revive Our Hearts.

This program is a listener-supported production of Revive Our Hearts in Niles, Michigan, calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

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