HC Cowboy Ministries · Cowboys & the Cross Podcast · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion
Ride Into
the Storm
God never told you to outrun the hard things. He told you He'd ride through them with you.
Isaiah 43:2
|
Mark 4:37–40
|
1 Cor. 15:33
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries
✦ Before the Thunder Rolls
Every Cowboy Knows That Sky
You've seen it. That sky in the west that goes green and purple, where the clouds stack up like a wall and the wind shifts direction without warning. The cattle get nervous. The horses feel it before you do. And every man on the range has to make a decision in that moment — do you ride toward it, or do you run?
A seasoned cowboy knows you don't always get to choose whether the storm comes. But you do get to choose how you meet it. And the worst thing you can do when a fast storm rolls in is panic, scatter, and run — because running blind in a storm is more dangerous than standing your ground in one.
This morning, God has something to say about the storms of life — the ones that come at you fast and hit hard. He's not calling you to be reckless. He's calling you to be faithful. And He's got a word about who you bring with you when you ride in.
✦ The Word ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
What God Says About the Storm
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Isaiah 43:2 · NKJV
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Mark 4:37–39 · NKJV
Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
1 Corinthians 15:33 · NKJV
As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17 · NKJV
✦ Part One ✦
✦ Don't Run
God Said "Through," Not "Around"
Read Isaiah 43:2 again carefully. God didn't say if you pass through the waters. He said when. He didn't promise to relocate you to storm-free country. He promised to be with you when the water rises. That's not a small distinction — that's everything.
Too many of God's people spend their whole lives trying to route around the hard seasons. The difficult marriage. The financial wreck. The illness, the loss, the betrayal. They pray for a way out instead of asking God to walk them through. And in doing so, they miss the very thing God was trying to build in them in the middle of the storm.
"God didn't promise you calm weather. He promised you His presence in every weather."
Look at Jesus in that boat in Mark 4. He didn't turn the vessel around when the storm hit. He was asleep — not because He was indifferent, but because He had no fear of what the storm could do. When His disciples woke Him in a panic, He didn't rebuke the storm first. He rebuked their fear. "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Then He spoke to the wind and the water — and they obeyed Him.
The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them.
That's the lesson, friend. When the storm hits fast and hard — when the sky turns on you and everything gets loud and dark — don't turn tail. Ride in. Because Jesus is already in the boat, and He's not losing any sleep over what's coming at you.
"The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them."
Riding into a storm doesn't mean being foolish. It means trusting that the God who made the storm can calm it at any moment — and that until He does, He's using it for something you can't yet see from where you're sitting.
✦ Part Two ✦
✦ Choose Carefully
But Be Careful Who You Bring With You
Here's the other side of this — and don't miss it. Riding into the storm takes courage. But riding into the storm with the wrong people can get you — and them — killed.
Every experienced cowboy knows that when a storm rolls in hard and fast, you don't hand a green-broke horse to a nervous rider and send them out together. A panicking rider on a panicking horse in the middle of a storm is a disaster waiting to happen. You choose your riders the same way you choose your horses — proven, steady, and trained for hard conditions.
⚠ The Warning
Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:33 are blunt: evil company corrupts good habits. This isn't about being better than anyone else. It's about recognizing that the people riding alongside you in a storm will either steady you or scatter you. Their faith — or their fear — is contagious.
When you're in a season of trial, the voices closest to you have enormous power. A person who speaks doubt into your ear every mile will wear you down faster than the storm itself.
Think about Job. God let the storm come — and Job's wife told him to curse God and die. His friends sat with him for seven days in silence, which was the best thing they did. The moment they opened their mouths, they added to his burden instead of lifting it. They weren't bad people — but they were the wrong riders for that storm.
Think about David running from Saul. He didn't run alone — but he ran with men who were mighty, loyal, and battle-tested. He didn't bring the palace gossips into the wilderness with him. He brought warriors.
Who belongs on your ride?
Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpens iron. That means friction is part of the process — but it's supposed to make you sharper, not weaker. The right riding partner in a storm challenges you toward faith, not away from it. They pray with you, not just talk at you. They point you back to the Word when you're ready to quit. They don't have all the answers — but they know Who does.
✦ Bring Someone Who...
Prays more than they panic. Speaks faith when the sky goes dark. Stays when it gets hard. Points you to Scripture, not just sympathy. Has ridden through their own storms and still trusts God.
⚠ Be Cautious of Someone Who...
Adds fear to an already fearful moment. Has no anchor in God themselves. Wants to talk you out of trusting. Bails when the storm hits hardest. Uses your storm to pour out their own bitterness.
"You can't control the storm. But you can control who rides into it with you."
This isn't about casting people out of your life. It's about wisdom. There's a difference between who you love and who you take into the storm. You can love someone deeply and still know they are not the right person to ride beside you in a crisis. Love them. Pray for them. But choose your storm riders wisely.
✦ Ride It Home ✦
✦ Application
Before You Saddle Up This Morning
Maybe you're looking at a storm on the horizon right now. Maybe it's already on top of you — the clouds are black, the wind is loud, and everything in you wants to run. Don't run. Ride in. The God who told Isaiah "I will be with you" doesn't break His word.
And as you ride in — take a hard look at who's riding with you. Not to judge them, but to be honest. Are the people closest to you in this season building your faith or draining it? Are they iron that sharpens iron, or are they pulling you toward fear and doubt?
You were not built to ride alone. But you were also not built to ride with just anybody. God gives us people — faithful, storm-tested, Word-grounded people — for exactly these moments. Lean into those relationships. Be that person for someone else. And let the One who calms the wind and the waves be the lead rider in everything you face today.
"Ride in. Hold on. Keep your eyes on the One who owns the storm — and choose your riders like your life depends on it. Because it might."
✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions to Carry Into the Day
Is there a storm in your life right now that you've been trying to ride around instead of through? What would it look like to face it head-on with God beside you?
When trials hit, is your first instinct to run, to freeze, or to pray? What does that reveal about where your faith is rooted?
Who are the two or three people you turn to first when life gets hard? Are they riders who build your faith — or do they pull you toward fear?
Is there someone in your life right now who needs you to be a faithful storm-rider alongside them? What would that look like practically this week?
✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Lord God,
The storm is real. I won't pretend it isn't. The wind is loud and the trail ahead is hard to see. But I am choosing this morning to ride in — because You are in the boat with me, and You have never lost a storm yet.
Give me the faith to stop running and start trusting. Remind me today that "through" is not the same as "alone." You said You'd be with me in the water, in the fire, in every hard place — and I am standing on that promise right now.
Lord, give me wisdom about who I bring into this season with me. Show me who speaks faith and who speaks fear. Guard my heart from voices that lead me away from You. And bring alongside me the iron that sharpens iron — people who love You, love me, and will ride hard toward You no matter how dark it gets.
I trust You with the storm. Have Your way in it. Do what only You can do.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
HC Cowboy Ministries
Cowboys & the Cross Podcast
Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion
Ride Into
the Storm
God never told you to outrun the hard things. He told you He'd ride through them with you.
Isaiah 43:2
|
Mark 4:37–40
|
1 Cor. 15:33
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries
✦ Before the Thunder Rolls
Every Cowboy Knows That Sky
You've seen it. That sky in the west that goes green and purple, where the clouds stack up like a wall and the wind shifts direction without warning. The cattle get nervous. The horses feel it before you do. And every man on the range has to make a decision in that moment — do you ride toward it, or do you run?
A seasoned cowboy knows you don't always get to choose whether the storm comes. But you do get to choose how you meet it. And the worst thing you can do when a fast storm rolls in is panic, scatter, and run — because running blind in a storm is more dangerous than standing your ground in one.
This morning, God has something to say about the storms of life — the ones that come at you fast and hit hard. He's not calling you to be reckless. He's calling you to be faithful. And He's got a word about who you bring with you when you ride in.
✦ The Word ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
What God Says About the Storm
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Isaiah 43:2 · NKJV
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Mark 4:37–39 · NKJV
Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
1 Corinthians 15:33 · NKJV
As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17 · NKJV
✦ Part One ✦
✦ Don't Run
God Said "Through," Not "Around"
Read Isaiah 43:2 again carefully. God didn't say if you pass through the waters. He said when. He didn't promise to relocate you to storm-free country. He promised to be with you when the water rises. That's not a small distinction — that's everything.
Too many of God's people spend their whole lives trying to route around the hard seasons. The difficult marriage. The financial wreck. The illness, the loss, the betrayal. They pray for a way out instead of asking God to walk them through. And in doing so, they miss the very thing God was trying to build in them in the middle of the storm.
"God didn't promise you calm weather. He promised you His presence in every weather."
Look at Jesus in that boat in Mark 4. He didn't turn the vessel around when the storm hit. He was asleep — not because He was indifferent, but because He had no fear of what the storm could do. When His disciples woke Him in a panic, He didn't rebuke the storm first. He rebuked their fear. "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Then He spoke to the wind and the water — and they obeyed Him.
The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them.
That's the lesson, friend. When the storm hits fast and hard — when the sky turns on you and everything gets loud and dark — don't turn tail. Ride in. Because Jesus is already in the boat, and He's not losing any sleep over what's coming at you.
"The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them."
Riding into a storm doesn't mean being foolish. It means trusting that the God who made the storm can calm it at any moment — and that until He does, He's using it for something you can't yet see from where you're sitting.
✦ Part Two ✦
✦ Choose Carefully
But Be Careful Who You Bring With You
Here's the other side of this — and don't miss it. Riding into the storm takes courage. But riding into the storm with the wrong people can get you — and them — killed.
Every experienced cowboy knows that when a storm rolls in hard and fast, you don't hand a green-broke horse to a nervous rider and send them out together. A panicking rider on a panicking horse in the middle of a storm is a disaster waiting to happen. You choose your riders the same way you choose your horses — proven, steady, and trained for hard conditions.
⚠ The Warning
Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:33 are blunt: evil company corrupts good habits. This isn't about being better than anyone else. It's about recognizing that the people riding alongside you in a storm will either steady you or scatter you. Their faith — or their fear — is contagious.
When you're in a season of trial, the voices closest to you have enormous power. A person who speaks doubt into your ear every mile will wear you down faster than the storm itself.
Think about Job. God let the storm come — and Job's wife told him to curse God and die. His friends sat with him for seven days in silence, which was the best thing they did. The moment they opened their mouths, they added to his burden instead of lifting it. They weren't bad people — but they were the wrong riders for that storm.
Think about David running from Saul. He didn't run alone — but he ran with men who were mighty, loyal, and battle-tested. He didn't bring the palace gossips into the wilderness with him. He brought warriors.
Who belongs on your ride?
Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpens iron. That means friction is part of the process — but it's supposed to make you sharper, not weaker. The right riding partner in a storm challenges you toward faith, not away from it. They pray with you, not just talk at you. They point you back to the Word when you're ready to quit. They don't have all the answers — but they know Who does.
✦ Bring Someone Who...
Prays more than they panic. Speaks faith when the sky goes dark. Stays when it gets hard. Points you to Scripture, not just sympathy. Has ridden through their own storms and still trusts God.
⚠ Be Cautious of Someone Who...
Adds fear to an already fearful moment. Has no anchor in God themselves. Wants to talk you out of trusting. Bails when the storm hits hardest. Uses your storm to pour out their own bitterness.
"You can't control the storm. But you can control who rides into it with you."
This isn't about casting people out of your life. It's about wisdom. There's a difference between who you love and who you take into the storm. You can love someone deeply and still know they are not the right person to ride beside you in a crisis. Love them. Pray for them. But choose your storm riders wisely.
✦ Ride It Home ✦
✦ Application
Before You Saddle Up This Morning
Maybe you're looking at a storm on the horizon right now. Maybe it's already on top of you — the clouds are black, the wind is loud, and everything in you wants to run. Don't run. Ride in. The God who told Isaiah "I will be with you" doesn't break His word.
And as you ride in — take a hard look at who's riding with you. Not to judge them, but to be honest. Are the people closest to you in this season building your faith or draining it? Are they iron that sharpens iron, or are they pulling you toward fear and doubt?
You were not built to ride alone. But you were also not built to ride with just anybody. God gives us people — faithful, storm-tested, Word-grounded people — for exactly these moments. Lean into those relationships. Be that person for someone else. And let the One who calms the wind and the waves be the lead rider in everything you face today.
"Ride in. Hold on. Keep your eyes on the One who owns the storm — and choose your riders like your life depends on it. Because it might."
✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions to Carry Into the Day
Is there a storm in your life right now that you've been trying to ride around instead of through? What would it look like to face it head-on with God beside you?
When trials hit, is your first instinct to run, to freeze, or to pray? What does that reveal about where your faith is rooted?
Who are the two or three people you turn to first when life gets hard? Are they riders who build your faith — or do they pull you toward fear?
Is there someone in your life right now who needs you to be a faithful storm-rider alongside them? What would that look like practically this week?
✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Lord God,
The storm is real. I won't pretend it isn't. The wind is loud and the trail ahead is hard to see. But I am choosing this morning to ride in — because You are in the boat with me, and You have never lost a storm yet.
Give me the faith to stop running and start trusting. Remind me today that "through" is not the same as "alone." You said You'd be with me in the water, in the fire, in every hard place — and I am standing on that promise right now.
Lord, give me wisdom about who I bring into this season with me. Show me who speaks faith and who speaks fear. Guard my heart from voices that lead me away from You. And bring alongside me the iron that sharpens iron — people who love You, love me, and will ride hard toward You no matter how dark it gets.
I trust You with the storm. Have Your way in it. Do what only You can do.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
HC Cowboy Ministries
Cowboys & the Cross Podcast
Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
HC Cowboy Ministries · Cowboys & the Cross Podcast · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion
Ride Into
the Storm
God never told you to outrun the hard things. He told you He'd ride through them with you.
Isaiah 43:2
|
Mark 4:37–40
|
1 Cor. 15:33
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries
✦ Before the Thunder Rolls
Every Cowboy Knows That Sky
You've seen it. That sky in the west that goes green and purple, where the clouds stack up like a wall and the wind shifts direction without warning. The cattle get nervous. The horses feel it before you do. And every man on the range has to make a decision in that moment — do you ride toward it, or do you run?
A seasoned cowboy knows you don't always get to choose whether the storm comes. But you do get to choose how you meet it. And the worst thing you can do when a fast storm rolls in is panic, scatter, and run — because running blind in a storm is more dangerous than standing your ground in one.
This morning, God has something to say about the storms of life — the ones that come at you fast and hit hard. He's not calling you to be reckless. He's calling you to be faithful. And He's got a word about who you bring with you when you ride in.
✦ The Word ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
What God Says About the Storm
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Isaiah 43:2 · NKJV
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Mark 4:37–39 · NKJV
Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
1 Corinthians 15:33 · NKJV
As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17 · NKJV
✦ Part One ✦
✦ Don't Run
God Said "Through," Not "Around"
Read Isaiah 43:2 again carefully. God didn't say if you pass through the waters. He said when. He didn't promise to relocate you to storm-free country. He promised to be with you when the water rises. That's not a small distinction — that's everything.
Too many of God's people spend their whole lives trying to route around the hard seasons. The difficult marriage. The financial wreck. The illness, the loss, the betrayal. They pray for a way out instead of asking God to walk them through. And in doing so, they miss the very thing God was trying to build in them in the middle of the storm.
"God didn't promise you calm weather. He promised you His presence in every weather."
Look at Jesus in that boat in Mark 4. He didn't turn the vessel around when the storm hit. He was asleep — not because He was indifferent, but because He had no fear of what the storm could do. When His disciples woke Him in a panic, He didn't rebuke the storm first. He rebuked their fear. "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Then He spoke to the wind and the water — and they obeyed Him.
The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them.
That's the lesson, friend. When the storm hits fast and hard — when the sky turns on you and everything gets loud and dark — don't turn tail. Ride in. Because Jesus is already in the boat, and He's not losing any sleep over what's coming at you.
"The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them."
Riding into a storm doesn't mean being foolish. It means trusting that the God who made the storm can calm it at any moment — and that until He does, He's using it for something you can't yet see from where you're sitting.
✦ Part Two ✦
✦ Choose Carefully
But Be Careful Who You Bring With You
Here's the other side of this — and don't miss it. Riding into the storm takes courage. But riding into the storm with the wrong people can get you — and them — killed.
Every experienced cowboy knows that when a storm rolls in hard and fast, you don't hand a green-broke horse to a nervous rider and send them out together. A panicking rider on a panicking horse in the middle of a storm is a disaster waiting to happen. You choose your riders the same way you choose your horses — proven, steady, and trained for hard conditions.
⚠ The Warning
Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:33 are blunt: evil company corrupts good habits. This isn't about being better than anyone else. It's about recognizing that the people riding alongside you in a storm will either steady you or scatter you. Their faith — or their fear — is contagious.
When you're in a season of trial, the voices closest to you have enormous power. A person who speaks doubt into your ear every mile will wear you down faster than the storm itself.
Think about Job. God let the storm come — and Job's wife told him to curse God and die. His friends sat with him for seven days in silence, which was the best thing they did. The moment they opened their mouths, they added to his burden instead of lifting it. They weren't bad people — but they were the wrong riders for that storm.
Think about David running from Saul. He didn't run alone — but he ran with men who were mighty, loyal, and battle-tested. He didn't bring the palace gossips into the wilderness with him. He brought warriors.
Who belongs on your ride?
Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpens iron. That means friction is part of the process — but it's supposed to make you sharper, not weaker. The right riding partner in a storm challenges you toward faith, not away from it. They pray with you, not just talk at you. They point you back to the Word when you're ready to quit. They don't have all the answers — but they know Who does.
✦ Bring Someone Who...
Prays more than they panic. Speaks faith when the sky goes dark. Stays when it gets hard. Points you to Scripture, not just sympathy. Has ridden through their own storms and still trusts God.
⚠ Be Cautious of Someone Who...
Adds fear to an already fearful moment. Has no anchor in God themselves. Wants to talk you out of trusting. Bails when the storm hits hardest. Uses your storm to pour out their own bitterness.
"You can't control the storm. But you can control who rides into it with you."
This isn't about casting people out of your life. It's about wisdom. There's a difference between who you love and who you take into the storm. You can love someone deeply and still know they are not the right person to ride beside you in a crisis. Love them. Pray for them. But choose your storm riders wisely.
✦ Ride It Home ✦
✦ Application
Before You Saddle Up This Morning
Maybe you're looking at a storm on the horizon right now. Maybe it's already on top of you — the clouds are black, the wind is loud, and everything in you wants to run. Don't run. Ride in. The God who told Isaiah "I will be with you" doesn't break His word.
And as you ride in — take a hard look at who's riding with you. Not to judge them, but to be honest. Are the people closest to you in this season building your faith or draining it? Are they iron that sharpens iron, or are they pulling you toward fear and doubt?
You were not built to ride alone. But you were also not built to ride with just anybody. God gives us people — faithful, storm-tested, Word-grounded people — for exactly these moments. Lean into those relationships. Be that person for someone else. And let the One who calms the wind and the waves be the lead rider in everything you face today.
"Ride in. Hold on. Keep your eyes on the One who owns the storm — and choose your riders like your life depends on it. Because it might."
✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions to Carry Into the Day
Is there a storm in your life right now that you've been trying to ride around instead of through? What would it look like to face it head-on with God beside you?
When trials hit, is your first instinct to run, to freeze, or to pray? What does that reveal about where your faith is rooted?
Who are the two or three people you turn to first when life gets hard? Are they riders who build your faith — or do they pull you toward fear?
Is there someone in your life right now who needs you to be a faithful storm-rider alongside them? What would that look like practically this week?
✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Lord God,
The storm is real. I won't pretend it isn't. The wind is loud and the trail ahead is hard to see. But I am choosing this morning to ride in — because You are in the boat with me, and You have never lost a storm yet.
Give me the faith to stop running and start trusting. Remind me today that "through" is not the same as "alone." You said You'd be with me in the water, in the fire, in every hard place — and I am standing on that promise right now.
Lord, give me wisdom about who I bring into this season with me. Show me who speaks faith and who speaks fear. Guard my heart from voices that lead me away from You. And bring alongside me the iron that sharpens iron — people who love You, love me, and will ride hard toward You no matter how dark it gets.
I trust You with the storm. Have Your way in it. Do what only You can do.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
HC Cowboy Ministries
Cowboys & the Cross Podcast
Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
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