Do you ever feel like the bluster all around you is an indication of what the future holds? The tornado is coming…what do I do? There is no “stop” in the midst of the swirling tempest. At times, it seems like the downpour is all we can take. We find ourselves rushing into the wind, hopelessly grasping for some “relief”. Sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees.
“Our God in heaven does whatever pleases Him. Psa. 115: 3 The storm that was sent to break us, is going to be the storm that God uses to make us! When we come out of the storm, we won’t be the same person that walked into it. That’s what the storm is all about!”
“The river was beating against the rocks in huge dashing waves. The lightning was flashing; the thunder was roaring; the wind was blowing; but the little bird was asleep in the crevice of a rock, its head serenely tucked under its wing…sound asleep! That is peace…to be able to sleep in the storm! In Christ, we are relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life. The storm rages, but our hearts are at rest. We have found peace…at last.” Billy Graham
My girls and I used to sing a song in the jungle when the rain was so fierce it came through the bark walls and half-way across our living room floor! The thunder was so loud our tin roof shook and the wind and lightning filled the whole Darien with light! The river, eighteen feet from our front door, could rise 10 feet in a few hours! We were on alert, in the event that the rivers rage would come over the bank and into our house…
It was great comfort to lift our voices in song, as we cuddled together in the hammock that was hung from beam to beam in that little remote room. The “storms may come and go but the peace of God we will know.” We were wet, but we were at peace. God knew and directed the rain, the river and our hearts when we surrendered our will to His.
Maintaining the right focus makes all the difference.
Stand up in the storm this week and in gratefulness,
Find peace by yielding to His will in your life…
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
