The Storms. . .

(I hope that you don’t mind a “repeat.” I went back to find this one from December, 2019. With so many thing happening in the world, may you find comfort.)

Have you ever wondered why thing happen the way they do? Things are going along well, when all of a sudden, the wind starts blowing, and then the rain starts a tumblin’ down! I wonder how Noah and his family felt when it started flooding. The Lord didn’t stop the rain from falling on this righteous man, but He did make a way for them to escape the elements.

Think about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – they literally “stood their ground” by refusing to bow down to the graven image made by Nebuchadnezzar. For refusing to given in, the Lord didn’t save them from the fiery furnace. No, He went into the furnace with them for Nebuchadnezzar “said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) Daniel didn’t change his custom of praying before his God three times a day, even though it meant that he was facing the lions’ den. God didn’t miraculously save Daniel from his fate. Daniel was thrown to the hungry lions, but “God sent an angel, and shut the lions’ mouths, that they did not hurt him.” (Daniel 6:22) When the apostles got caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was sleeping in the back of the ship. He didn’t stop the storm from coming, but He stayed with them through it and calmed it. (Mark 4:35-40)

Friends, we will face many storms in this life – sickness, death, loss of jobs, homes, and friends. (Heaven wouldn’t be so dear, if it was all “bliss and glory” here on earth.) But, we can take comfort in the knowledge that no matter how dark our days may be, we are not alone. The Lord is always with us. God Bless, Courtney