Storms...

Storm

On Sunday, the pastor at our church preached about storms. I have thought a lot about his sermon and the storms that occur in our lives. Storms happen for several reasons, but two stood out to me. He described self-storms. Storms we cause of our own volition. I see these as storms that come because of what we do or refrain from doing. In my opinion, being disobedient to God causes these storms. These storms can range from a steady downpour for days to a Category 5 hurricane. In the worst storms, we are tossed about by the high winds, hail pounds us leaving us bruised and battered, and tornadoes tear us apart with sometimes years of destruction and devastation. I have had a storm of this magnitude once or twice. Occasionally, I have felt the storm was that catastrophic, only to calm down and realize that it wasn't that bad, God was in control, and everything smoothed over quickly like right after a thunderstorm. You know the beauty right after a storm where the leaves are blown, the sky brightens, and a rainbow appears.

Then there is a storm that is made by someone and we have done absolutely nothing wrong. We are merely a character in the "Twister" movie and didn't read for the part. We look around wondering what we did wrong and why we are being punished. We are so caught up in the hurt, pain, and aftermath that we can't see the purpose. These are the storms that are the hardest to understand. We question and search for the reason why we are in the midst and the heavy rain blurs our vision from the reality that it isn't us.

Sometimes we can see the storms in another's eyes. We can see the person in the midst of a storm and we feel helpless. A storm that isn't that person's fault, but they must batten down the hatches, so to speak, and weather the storm. There are times we feel the person will not come through without scars. But, and there is always a BUT GOD....Psalms 107:29 states "He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed." I know that God can calm the storm as he did in Matthew 8:26. Psalm 89:8-9 says, "O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them." There are many many verses in the Bible about God protecting and comforting us through storms. I wish I had known all this then, as I was going through those storms. But, and again I say, But God...God knew. He was in control. He was calming the raging seas. He spoke to the winds. God protected me just as God is protecting those who are currently in the midst of the storm. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.", Matthew 7:25.