In Condition to Face Life's Storms

After a long time, i played basketball again. I was pumped up, very excited to shoot those hoops again. In the first 10 minutes, I was 0 out of 5. I made several attempts, but my shots were either too strong or too weak. There are a number of reasons (excuses) why I did poorly. I was unfamiliar with court , it had been months since I last threw a shot, my legs were out of condition, and I was trying to catch my breath among other things.
This reminds me of something about facing our problems. Often, we pray intensively when we encounter life's problems. There can be two scenarios; a) one who faces a problem but has always prayed faithfully b) another is one who faces a problem but only prays at the time of the challenge.
Just as storms are a part of the natural course of the environment, so are the storms that naturally come in our lives. When our problems arrive, we have to be:
1. Familiar with God's voice
2. Conditioned with prayer
3. Filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit
This is experienced by those who have been already praying prior to the "storm." That is why when problems come they are calm and even at peace. I know of someone who found out that he had cancer symptoms and had to be operated on. He confessed that he was surprised that despite the shocking news, he was not afraid and he felt peace knowing that many of his friends will be praying for him. He exhibited a certain strength only manifested by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a similar case when Jesus was sleeping during the storm. "Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm (Matthew 8: 24-26)."
Let us start to condition ourselves in the Lord through consistent prayer. Let us not wait for problems to bring us down on our knees. So when it's 'game time' we can make the important shots and not make excuses of doing poorly in handling our problems. Surely God will help all those who call upon His Name even if we have only remembered him during the crisis. But by being faithful and ready, we can overcome problems with His strength and even be an instrument to help others in their storms.