Spending the day at the beach is full of rest and peace. The waves quietly hitting the shore and the sound of children’s laughter fill your head with a sense of tranquility. A gentle breeze blows giving you a quick relief from the hot sun. You give your mind permission to take the day off and not think. All is well in the world until the winds begin to shift!
The sun becomes dim as dark clouds begin to surround it and distinguish its bright light. The winds blow with a force that sends a message to batten down the hatches a storm is a brewin! You go into panic mode as you call for the kids and begin grabbing all your belongings. Time is of the essence as you feel the drops of rain touch your skin. Your running for your life as you throw stuff into your car, children buckled in and doors shut just as the heavens release it’s fury. A sigh of relief escapes your lips as realize your safe and sound!
That scenario is how life really is. The truth is we never know how or when the storm is going to hit us!
We are told in the bible that we will endure many trials in this life and anyone who has never been through one I would love to shake their hand! It says in 1 Peter “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12 NLT)”. The truth is life is not perfect and we live in a world full of imperfections. From the moment that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge we have been living in a fallen world. Anywhere you look you can see sickness, disease, poverty, depression, wars, death, hate and natural disasters fill our earth. This world is so far from the Garden of Eden that God originally created for us. He created a world full of food, protection, joy, peace and love. God created this because of His love for us. If God loves us so much then why does He allow us to go through trials?
It says in the bible “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. (Romans 5:3 NLT)”. God allows these trials and test to help us burn away the fleshy desires of this world. He wants us to strengthen our faith and trust in Him. Think back to some of the more difficult times in your life there was always a lesson in it. What’s great about God is if you didn’t get that message the first time then you can do it over until you do! I can go back to times when my faith was tested, my strength was weak and my hope was diminished. In the book of James it says “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. (James 1:3 NLT)”. I had such fear and anxiety that I never thought it would pass. It did! It always has and it always will. If I never went through them then I would not have such faith and hope in everything that comes into my life. I have learned that God is so very faithful to His word.
In each test my faith grew. I know that if God did it before He will do it again. I also know if that if God did it for someone else He will do it for me. Another lesson God taught me was about forgiveness and importance of what I say. He showed me that my mind was thinking negatively and I needed to change my thought patterns. The Lord pressed into my heart about looking deeper into someone’s heart and see their pain. Because of their hurt they go around hurting others. Such valuable lessons that I cherish so very much had to be taught through some of the most difficult storms in my life. If I never experienced trials then I would have never grown.
The storms in nature are a lot like the storms in our lives they come out the blue. Sometimes we get a warning so we can prepare ourselves for what is about to happen and sometimes we just get hit by it. We can prepare by knowing that God loves us and is faithful. He hears our prayers and our petitions that we send up. By reading the bible we will know what is in God’s will and what He will do. Most importantly we can be at peace during it. Jesus said “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT)”. Jesus is there in the storms in your life He is ready to grab your hand and give you a peace that surpasses all understanding. He is after all The Prince of Prince and He gives His peace to all who ask! He is our anchor, our rock, our fortress and our shield. Jesus is our refuge and our place of safety when everything around us is tumbling down. Take heart that into our life a little or a lot of rain must fall. Just be sure your relying on more than your umbrella to weather the storm!