During the recent hurricanes, even more than the high winds, the experts talked about the storm surge—how the water was going to flood areas that were normally dry. But before the surge, the winds and pressure from the storm caused the water to recede from the shore. Seeing hundreds of yards of sand where there was normally ocean, you could think the experts were wrong about the surge. But at a certain point, just as they predicted, the water came rushing back with incredible force.
A storm surge in the traditional sense is a negative, but God has a storm surge that's meant for your good. When you go through a personal storm, you feel as though you're being pulled back. You're going backwards instead of moving forward. What you can't see is that a surge is coming—a surge of favor, of increase, of promotion. If you'll stay in faith, God will always follow up the storm with a surge. That difficulty is not going to leave you decreased, it's going to surge you further. It is setting you up to go where you could not go on your own.
When you have a big storm, that means a big surge is coming. The stronger the opposition, the stronger the surge. The more you get pulled back, the more you're going to shoot forward. The more that people try to keep you down, the higher you're going to go. The key is to stay in faith when you're doing the right thing but the wrong thing is happening to you. Every thought will tell you, "It's never going to change. You're stuck. Just accept it." The circumstances may look permanent, but don't be fooled—the surge is coming.
The psalmist said, "When darkness overtakes the righteous, light will come bursting in" (Psalm 112:4). When you've been overtaken by darkness, by a flood, by a negative medical report, by people trying to stop you, it's going to happen suddenly—a surge of favor, of healing, of strength. You didn't see it coming. One moment you were struggling with debt, and suddenly—one contract, one promotion, one good break—you have more than enough. One moment you didn't see how it could work out, and suddenly the right people showed up. What happened? The light came bursting in. The God who is a very present help in trouble said, "It's time for your surge. You've been pulled back long enough. Now it's time to propel you forward." God is about to do that for you.