Storms

Christ alone, Cornerstone,

The weak made strong

In the savior’s love,

through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all.

Last week, we had a terrible storm. It came up so fast, so unexpected that it was unbelievable. I had been just assuming that it would only be rain, no big deal. My grandson and I were outside doing some yard work when I felt a few sprinkles, looked up, and yelled at Matt to get into the house “NOW.” Within just a very few minutes, it was like the Holy Spirit was telling me the exact things that I needed to do and the things that I needed to stop doing. Matthew was sent to the bathtub. I quickly raised some windows to relieve the pressures of the wind and laid a thick blanket in front of the door. One of my windows started to cave in on me and there for a few seconds I stood there thinking I could hold it through the storm (until the glass started to shatter that is, and that was when I gave it all over to God and joined Matthew in the bathtub).

As we sat there, I listened to the glass breaking and the wind raging and the hail. I was heartbroken. God had literally given Ed and I this house and we have been working hard trying to restore it for the past 5 years. Why GOD?

I started praying aloud with Matty. “God, I don’t understand any of this, but I know that no matter what, You will see us through, and You will turn it into good. I love You and I trust You to see us through this storm.”

After the wind and rain had subsided, Matt and I got out of the tub and looked at the damages. We spent several hours cleaning up, boarding up the window with the help of wonderful friends. Very surprisingly, I never cried (so not like me).

Over the last few days, I have begun to reflect on Storms. They come in so many shapes and forms. Illness, heartache, debt, depression, anxiety, to name a few. It becomes so hard to think and sometimes hard to even breathe through storms. They can seem to come from out of the blue, and then stick around for years, crashing in all around you.

As I began writing this, I thought of Isaiah. After I read for a while, I decided this scripture seemed to fit.

“Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

“O afflicted city lashed by storms and not comforted. I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels and all your walls of precious stones. (Isaiah 54:10-12)

God was preparing Isaiah to make the people believe that it is possible to be joyful regardless of their situations. You see, Peace and rest come from Jesus. He is the sunshine in any storm. You cannot fight the storms of life without the Lord. Reflect on the times He has helped you in the past. Make a journal of them! Reflect on His promises and what He has done in the lives of others. Mostly, reflect on who HE is and PRAISE Him. Praise Him when it makes sense. Praise Him when it doesn’t any more. Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all.