The purpose of the church is often misunderstood. Many people see a “holier than thou” attitude among its members. Yet Scripture teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Many others see the church as a place of spiritual relaxation or material blessing. That misconception causes frustration for people who are faithful believers but still have trouble and distress in their lives. If we describe it in nautical terms, the church is not a warship or a cruise ship but a lifeboat.

The seafarers described in Psalm 107 were helpless in the storm. They had no control over the movements of their ship. But they “cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.” They could not rely on their own strength, but they could trust in the power of the Lord.

This is still true today. God’s Word does not say we will not experience “the valley of the shadow of death,” but it does promise that God is with us (Psalm 23:4). God does not ­ignore the cries of his people; he hears us in our distress.

Are you spinning around in a storm in your life? Rather than trying to fix things in your strength alone, ask the Lord to be with you in your distress and to have mercy on you.