When storms come

When I was a freshman in high school we got hit by several hurricanes within a short period. Next week, we may be facing a storm but we aren’t sure just yet how intense it will be.

When storms come, people prepare—when they know about them! Why is it we will bend over backward to prep for what we know is coming, but become lackadaisical in preparing for storms we can’t see coming—the storms of life that only God can foresee?

The truth is storms come and there’s little we can do about it. We can prepare. We can get our houses ready. We can have a plan. But, when it comes down to it, you can’t fully prepare for storms. They can change at the last minute.

When storms happen in life—the loss of a job, losing a loved one, a devastating hurricane, etc…—we can easily feel like the ground beneath our feet was swiftly removed. We can’t catch our breath. We feel the weight of uncertainty pulling us down as if we have shackles tied to our ankles. Or, at least that’s how I often feel.

For me, it’s reassuring that the Lord has authority over the wind and the waves, whether literally or circumstantially. When Jesus says, “Peace, be still” the storm obeys.

When I was a kid my family moved from Ohio to Florida. I can remember as a kid having to go to the basement on numerous occasions because of tornado warnings. It wasn’t until we were in Florida that we got hit by a tornado. I was in the 2nd grade. It was late, after 10 pm, when a fierce storm rolled through our area.

I was in my older brother’s room when we heard the thunder, saw the lighting through the window, and thought we heard a freight train coming. The funny thing was—we didn’t live near any railroad tracks.

By the time we got to our parent’s bedroom on the opposite end of our single-wide trailer and began to make our way to the guest bathroom, we heard the crushing sound of our front Florida room being ripped to pieces. And then—calm. As fast as it started it was over. Just like that.

A tornado had touched down in our front yard—just briefly. But it was there just long enough to do the damage that it did. It came fast, out of nowhere, and was over before we knew it.

Sometimes storms are fast and sometimes they linger—like the hurricanes did years later when I was a freshman in high school. They lingered, dumped a ton of rain, and wreaked havoc.

When I think about the tornadoes and the hurricanes that I’ve encountered in my life, I can’t help but wonder: What if God allows the storms for a purpose? I know that sounds odd to say and is hard for many to probably hear. But God will oftentimes use the breaking from the storms to build us back up so that we can be and do all He’s called us to be and do.

The storms I’ve walked through—whether physical or in life—I see the hand of God moving, guiding, and leading me to become who He wants me to be.

Maybe the storm you are facing right now God is using to refine you more and more into the image of His Son.

I believe God can use tornadoes and hurricanes to mold and shape us just as much as the trials we often face in life, such as loss, depression, pain, and various other things.

This weekend we will begin to prepare for a storm next week—a storm we can see coming. As I’ve chewed on this and while writing this, I got to thinking—how would our lives change if we consistently prepared for unforeseen challenges?

How do we do that?

Well, for starters, get in the Bible, meditate on Scripture, and seek the heart of God. The closer we get to God the more of a heavenly view we will have even if we can’t see the valley beyond the next mountaintop. Regardless, the closer we get to Jesus the less we focus on storms and the more we rest in His presence—where there’s true, lasting peace.

I want peace. And I’m sure you do as well.

You can find peace when storms come. Start by focusing on Jesus.

Peace, be still.

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Photo by Greg Johnson on Unsplash