WHEN THE STORM RAGES

“Life is funny, isn’t it?  Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, just when you finally begin to plan something, get excited about it, and feel like you know what direction you’re headed, the paths change, the signs change, the wind blows the other way, north is suddenly south, and east is west, and you’re lost.”  

Have we ever felt like this?  Just when we believed we had a handle on everything, “pedal to the metal on a downhill slide,” an unexpected illness, death, job loss, loss of a child or any other type of loss takes us by surprise, and suddenly we are in a storm, lost, and can’t find our way.  Everything is upside down and we feel as though we are spiraling out of control

We drop to our knees asking God why. We feel He is far away, and perhaps we think He can’t hear us or see our tears.  But as surely as the sun is shining on the other side of the storm, He hears.  He sees and He cares.  Exactly as an earthly father would do.  Dries his child’s tears to them, hugs them, and they are comforted.

“Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears:  behold I will add unto thy days fifteen years.”     (Isaiah 38:5)

I have a sign with this quote on my refrigerator door and on the window sill in my kitchen: “Prayer.  When life gets too hard to stand . . . kneel.”  Each day it is a reminder to turn to Him in prayer and not try to handle life’s problems on my own.

“And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with waves:  but He was asleep.  And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us:  we perish.  And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?  Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him.”     (Matthew 8:24-27)

Some trials may be more severe than others.  It is during these trials our faith grows. It is likened to a tree.  It cannot develop a strong root system without being tested in the elements.  And this is the way our spiritual lives are tested.

It doesn’t feel good for our hearts to hurt, our tears to flow, nor have sleepless nights struggling with a seemingly unanswerable problem.  But when we hold fast, and keep praying, the answer will come and the storm will cease for a time, but throughout our Christian lives we will be tested.

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”   (James 1:3)

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”   I Peter 6:6-9)

“Sometimes God calms the storm…Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.”

~ Unknown

Eileen Light