A Storm Is Rollin’ In.

Right now the rain is gently falling, you can hear the rain drops hitting the leaves on the trees. The breeze has picked up a little and the clouds have moved in to cover the blue sky in a soft grey. The birds are still singing from the trees and the scent from the flowers, mixed with the scent of the rain, is on that gentle breeze. This is the type of rain that I would let my kids play in. It is so easy to just kick my feet up while I’m sitting on the porch, grab my coffee, close my eyes and listen to the sounds around me. It’s peaceful, relaxing and comforting. However, you can feel the storm coming. You can feel it in the air and see it in the sky. The air is heavy, almost as if it actually weighs a lot and is making it hard to move. Off in the distance the sky has an angry look about it, warning you of what’s to come. I know my peaceful quiet time out here is going to be limited and soon I’ll be heading inside to get out of the storm.

Hmm, sounds a little like life. Okay, it sounds a lot like life. Think about it: life is going along smoothly, your job isn’t too stressful, you and your spouse are working together like a well-oiled machine, the kids are actually getting along AND listening, family and friends are safe and healthy. The peaceful, relaxing moments are all around. There will be times of stress and some troubles that do pop up, but they are gentle and do not cause too much “wind” to blow through. Sometimes those are the situations we can just “ride out” without too much concern. Then there’s the bigger storms that roll in. The ones you can feel and see coming, much like the actual storm rollin’ in today. Maybe you’ll have some warning, some indication of what’s to come. Maybe the plans and preparations will be enough to get you through and before you know it, you made it. You weathered the storm. But then there are those enormous, ugly, scary storms that come in without warning and tear everything down. You didn’t see it coming, you didn’t have time to prepare and let’s be honest, even if you did what good would it have done, right?

I have told this story before, but I believe it is worth repeating. When I rededicated my life to Christ, and was re-baptized with my family, I thought it (life) would be nothing but smooth sailing from that point on. Truth be told, I was really looking forward to a life with no more heart ache, no more troubles, no more worry…you get the idea. So imagine my surprise and confusion when things not only didn’t get “better” but actually got worse! Yes, you heard that right. Things in my life got incredibly hard, confusing, trying. I remember thinking to myself, “What in the world? I am truly trying here, Lord. I rededicated myself to you. Why are things so hard? When do I get to have it easy?”. It sounds silly now when I read those words. I can actually picture a grown up me throwing a four year old fit. Ha!

Thankfully I had amazing people around me that reminded me that Jesus never promised our lives would be care-free and easy going. I would still have to go through those storms that come up. I would face trials and scary things.

“I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 emphasis mine)

Wow! That’s a lot to take in in such a small verse. If Jesus stopped talking to his disciples after he told them that they were going to have trouble in this world, it would have been a very depressing conversation. But he didn’t! He didn’t just tell them that they were going to face troubles in their lives and then walk away. No! He told them to take heart! Don’t give up! He has overcome the world and everything in it! He is walking with us, right in the middle of our storms. Hard to believe when you’re standing in the face of that big, scary, ugly storm, I know. But don’t leave just yet, let me explain things, if I can.

There is a passage in the Bible about Jesus calming the storm. You can read it in Matthew 8: 23-27, Mark 4: 35-41 and Luke 8: 22-26. A few verses that speak volumes on what Jesus can do with our storms when we call on him:

“The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’ ” (Luke 8: 24-26)

So there you are, in the middle of a storm. One that makes you panic. One that feels impossible to get through. One that will surely pull you under and drown you. We have all had them. We will probably go through more before we see Jesus’ face. Knowing this doesn’t make it any easier. How do you try and make it through the day when you can’t breathe? How do you continue to be there for your children when opening your eyes seems like just too much? How do you keep waking up each day, praying your storm was a bad dream, only to realize that it’s not, it’s your reality. What do you do when you feel like you are literally drowning?

In Matthew 14: 28-32, we see the disciples and Jesus in another boat. Jesus had walked on the water out to the boat and the disciples were terrified. And rightly so, I might add. Peter wanted to be sure it was Jesus and Jesus told him to come out on to the water:

” ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt me?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”

It is very easy, and extremely human, to doubt. We can question God and go to him with our doubts and our concerns. We can know in our heart of hearts that he calms the storms and rescues those who feel like they are slipping below the waves. But we can still doubt it will happen in our situation, in our storm. We may feel like our storm is different, too strong for him to come in and calm. Hold on to the fact that he has done it before and he’ll continue to do it. Cry out to him, if you must. I know I have cried those very words, “Lord, save me!” many times. Keep your hand outstretched, reach for him, allow him to rescue you and calm your storm. My prayer for you is that God will show himself to you in the midst of your storm; that you will experience his calming presence and feel his hand reach for you. In the meantime…dance in the rain.

See you on the front porch.