Teachable Woman Podcast - 5 Minutes for Your Day
Reverend Michele Owes
Finding Purpose in the Storm
INTRODUCTION
Life brings storms—unexpected challenges, emotional waves, and seasons where everything seems to go wrong at once. In this episode, Rev. Michele Owes shares how walking with Jesus through seven weeks of intense trials revealed divine purpose, strengthened faith, and created unforgettable spiritual moments with her granddaughters. Using Mark 4:35–41 as the foundation, she teaches how storms are not signs of abandonment but invitations to walk closely with Christ.
PODCAST NOTES (7 Segments)
1. Storms Are Part of Life
• Storms aren’t always weather—they are circumstances that arise simply because we are alive.
• You may not like them, understand them, or appreciate them, but they appear anyway.
• Rev. Michele shares that she recently walked through seven weeks of storms with Jesus by her side.
• In that walk, she discovered purpose hidden inside the trial.
2. The Biblical Storm: Mark 4:35–41
• Jesus told His disciples: “Let us pass over unto the other side.”
• His proclamation established purpose—there was something important waiting on the other side.
• A great storm arose, waves filled the ship, and fear overtook the disciples.
• They focused on the storm instead of recognizing that the One who could calm it was already in the boat.
• Jesus rebuked the wind and said, “Peace, be still,” and the storm ceased.
3. Opposition Comes After God Speaks
• When God proclaims something, opposition often follows.
• The storm wasn’t random—it manifested to hinder the journey to the other side.
• The disciples’ fear revealed their lack of faith despite witnessing Jesus’ power.
• Storms in our lives often appear right before something beautiful is about to happen.
4. Seven Weeks, Seven Petitions, Seven Answers
• During her storm season, Rev. Michele drove her granddaughters (ages 7 and 10) to school each morning.
• They prayed the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) and then added their own petitions.
• They counted seven petitions placed on the altar.
• By the end of the seven weeks, God had answered all seven—seven out of seven.
• This became a powerful faith lesson for the girls at a young age.
5. Teaching the Next Generation
• Rev. Michele told her granddaughters to remember the God that Grandma serves.
• They learned early that God is a prayer-answering God, something many adults still struggle to grasp.
• She realized she was fulfilling Deuteronomy 6:7— “Teach them diligently… when you sit, walk, lie down, and rise up.”
• Pouring into children is part of discovering purpose in the storm.
6. Storms Reveal Your Witness
• Storms are opportunities to witness God’s faithfulness.
• When trials come, walk with Jesus, don’t run from Him.
• Put prayers on the altar and watch Him work—He is no respecter of persons.
• Your storm becomes a testimony that strengthens others.
7. The Other Side: A Beautiful Outcome
• At the end of the seven weeks, the event they were preparing for—a godly wedding—took place.
• It was everything God intended and more.
• The storm was not meant to destroy—it was meant to prepare, refine, and reveal purpose.
SUMMARY
Storms are inevitable, but they are never purposeless. Rev. Michele Owes reminds us that when Jesus says we are going to the other side, no storm can stop His plan. Fear blinds us to the fact that the power to calm the storm is already with us. Through prayer, faith, and teaching the next generation, we discover purpose in the very trials meant to shake us. Walk through your storm with Jesus, place your petitions before Him, and watch Him be “seven out of seven” in your life too.
