We had just gotten done riding on our boat and tubing with the grandkids. We were on our way up to the house to eat dinner. It was a perfect day. Sunshine and blue skies. Yea there were a few clouds here and there but nothing to be concerned about. The weather forecast for that day was 40% chance of rain, in my mind that meant 60% chance of no rain. Well guess what. Our perfect weather turned bad. The dark clouds appeared on the horizon. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly the wind picked up and the umbrella on the umbrella table almost went flying with the wind. It took all my strength to catch it. The dark clouds rolled in and day turned into night in a flash. Where did this storm come from and why did it have to come to ruin the day? The rain poured out of the clouds like a faucet that had just been turned on. The wind pushed the rain sideways and everything outside was instantly soaked. Towels, bathing suits, chairs, all wet. Sand quickly turned to mud and the grass became slippery. Storms, why do we have them?
As we go through life we also have times when everything is going great. The sun is shining and we see nothing but blue skies. Our jobs are secure, our health is on track, our children are all behaving and doing well in school, our bills are all paid, life is great!! Nothing can derail us now. It nothing but clear sailing. We walk around with a smile on our face and a quick step in our feet. Then Bam! Out of the blue comes a storm we weren't prepared for. There were no warning signals, so sirens, so signs of oncoming danger, usually there isn't even a notice of proceed with caution. Powerful, life changing and destructive, these storm hit us right between the eyes with a power so strong it knocks us off our feet. Almost like a lightning bolt from above, we are shaken to our very core. We are left in a state of shock and confusion. Fear instantly overwhelms us and we are at a loss for words. Medical, financial, marital, emotional, psychological, and even spiritual damage is caused by these storms we go through. Dumbfounded and afraid, the first question we ask is, why? We don't understand where these storms came from and we certainly don't understand why they are happening to us. Is God punishing us?
No God is not punishing anyone. I do not understand why I went through all the storms but I will honestly tell you I learned some of the greatest lessons in my life by going through these storms. I now realize that with every storm, every challenge, every trial I face, I will grow stronger in my faith and belief in Jesus Christ. You see what I have learned is that through the storms in our life, Satan means to use them to destroy us, to separate us, and to distance us from each other and especially he wants to separate us from Jesus Christ. He wants to fill our minds with doubts and fears. He wants us to question God and blame God, There are many couples who end up divorcing after going through a storm. They cannot take the pressure so they buckle and surrender to Satan's will, not God's will. I have seen it time and time again, we just don't want to learn lessons in life the hard way, but unfortunately sometimes that is the only way. Yes I know it is very difficult time when we are going through these storms. Yes I know that it seems like God doesn't care for us. Yes I know that we don't always understand what is happening and why. Yes I know that we feel lost and afraid and alone. These storms come on so suddenly that we are unprepared.
Rom 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
The storms in life, God will work them all out for our good. What Satan means for our harm, God can turn around and make it good, if we let Him! Satan wants to kill us, not physically but spiritually and he will use whatever means he can. He also knows that for those true believers, God will turn the storm around. The thing is we have to be willing to face the God's honest truth about ourselves and learn from these storms. If we don't learn and just complain and whine, we will keep going through the same storms over and over and over again. To praise God during a storm is life changing and trust me, if we ever learn to praise God in a storm, Satan will run from us.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
"My faith in God will not be moved by the storms in my life. My belief in Jesus Christ will never diminish because of the storms in my life. My hope will never fade! I have confidence that God will work all things out for my good. Even when it is hard for me to believe that, I will cling to that hope! I will cling to that love! I will cling to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior."
May the storms in your life teach you and strengthen your faith. May Jesus Christ be the Lord of you Life. May you learn to submit yourself to God and God alone! May God work all our storms out for the good. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
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