Passing Storms

Early this morning it happened again. The sky was once again flashing and booming. What sounded like the firing of cannons along with the shaking of the house woke me from my sleep.  I could hear our dog scurrying about trying to find cover (she’s terribly afraid of the thunder).  As buckets of water were being dumped upon the earth, the sound of the rain pelting against the windows only added to the drama. 

Well, it’s summer.  And, part of summer is a thunderstorm here and there.  But thankfully, as big and scary as some of them might be, the storms don’t usually last too long.  Most of the time, like this morning’s storm, they pass by in a matter of minutes.  Of course, when the sky is flashing with lightening and roaring with thunder, it can feel as if time is standing still and the storm is going to hang over us forever. But soon, usually before we know it, the storm has passed, the sky is clearing, and life gets back to normal.  (The dog even comes out of hiding!)

In Psalm 107, the psalmist wrote of a group of people who found themselves caught in the middle of a storm.  As the storm raged on, they were overcome with fear thinking that they were going to die.  But then they cried out to the Lord for his help.  And, the psalmist wrote, “He (the Lord) stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:29-30 - NIV)

The same happened to Jesus’ disciples who one night, while out on the sea, found themselves caught in the middle of a life-threatening storm. But we read that, in the middle of it all, Jesus “…got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”  (Matthew 8:26 – NIV)

When we are in the middle of the storms of our lives—i.e. the difficulties and challenges of our lives—it can feel as if we will be stuck in them forever.  If we are not careful, we can begin to believe that our storms will linger over us for the rest of our lives and even destroy us.  Our tendency can be to give up and give into despair.  But, let’s remember that we have a God who is always watching over us, who hears our cries, and who is always ready to intervene. If we will call out to him, he will respond.  He will rescue us.  He will speak peace.  He will bring us to our “desired haven.” 

With the Lord on our side, what may seem like a forever storm will soon become a passing storm.

Have a great day!

Pastor Tim Harris