Massive thunderstorms have barrelled through our little strip of land called Wilmington all summer. Pounding rain. Too close for comfort lightning. Thunder and strong wind. Sometimes it’s a bit scary.
As a little girl growing up on the plains of Oklahoma, I feared the power of storms and the tornadoes that often accompanied them. But the adult in me, though sometimes a bit nervous when the lightning strikes so closely the alarms go off, is beginning to appreciate the storms. I kind of like them. I value the rain soaking my thirsty plants and the sound of the rumbling thunder passing through.
Passing through.
The storms never last forever. They are always moving. Sometimes they travel slowly, but they always keep on going. I love when the weatherman reports that the storm is moving off to sea. I know it will lose it’s strength and run its course there. Sigh. The storm is gone.
Then comes the best part. After our storms we have the most brilliant evening skies. The billowy clouds color pink and orange and are outlined with fire by the brighter sun. But I’ve noticed that the sky is only painted with such glory after a storm.
Are you going through a storm? I have some encouragement for you:
1. The rains are good. Let them soak your thirsty soul. Know God has something good for you in this storm.
2. The storm is only passing through. It will not last forever.
3. Something beautiful will come after it’s gone.
Granted, if I were out in these storms and never had shelter from the pounding rain and dangerous lightning, this devotion might not be so happy. But I’m protected form the rain and wind as I type on my lap top in my safe, warm, dry home–my shelter from the storm.
This is key to our spiritual lives too. We must find shelter in God. As the storms of life rage around us we can be at peace as we trust in His protection.
Trust = Shelter.
Hold on to the knowledge that the storm is just passing through.
Much grace,
andy
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm …(Isaiah 25:4).
