In This Storm....

Storms are nasty. I don't like them. Not one bit. And there was one. Last night. It wasn't fun.

Here in Alabama storms are no strangers. We are all too familiar with the tragedy that occurred April 27, 2011 and all the heartache that came with those dark clouds. I wasn't in Tuscaloosa when it happened, but two of the most important people in my life were. My two best friends (one of which happens to be my fantabulous boyfriend) were both in the same room while I was at home watching the F5 stealthily creep past Bryant Denny, on a mission to destroy lives and families. I cannot tell you the gut wrenching fear that I felt for those I loved and those I didn't even know. Even afterwards, while doing some volunteer work there were several times when I just wanted to weep at all the destruction and heartache. How could God let things like this happen?

Funny how these things work out. Just recently there have been several passages of scripture that answer all the questions that Satan plants in our heads when we go through a storm. I started the Beth Moore "Daniel" study with my awesome roommate this past week and one of the things that she pointed out in session 1 was that "God is sovereign in our captivities." He might temporarily hand us over to "darkness," but he is ALWAYS in control. Speaking of control, he controls EVERYTHING. I have a friend that was telling me that he read through Job and how God commands every rain drop where to land (chapter 37). Don't you think that includes tornadoes? Don't you think that is also a metaphor for things that happen in our life? One of those big churchy words we like to use to make us sound smarter is omniscient. It means all-knowing.

So not only does he allow everything to happen, he commands it. He has commanded the sea to stop, he has commanded people be healed and he has commanded for every hair on your head and cell in your body to come into being. Back on topic. In case you haven't figured it out, I am using a storm as a metaphor. Everybody goes through storms whether they be literal or figurative for a tough patch in life. But I guess the point of saying all this is that when we go through storms it is the perfect time to let our spiritual endurance blossom and allow ourselves to become stronger! James 1:2-4 says "consider it joy, brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Ho encouraged do you feel now?! Ever heard the saying "God won't give you anything you can't handle?" Well, turns out its a biblical truth. And another one of those funny things. We go through stuff, right? And it's hard. And we have to build ourselves back up from the very foundation. But when we are done we are stronger and ready for an even bigger storm. But God doesn't just let us go through this stuff for fun!  In 2 Corinthians Paul says "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of Mercies and God of comfort who comforts us in our afflictions so that we may comfort others in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves were comforted by God."

This means we get opportunities to share with others the beautiful message of the gospel THROUGH our pain and suffering! Have you ever thought about the beautiful irony that the most beautiful days are right after the worst storms? It's because the most prosperous and God glorifying times in our lives are when we don't let what has happened to us get us down in a pit! It's glorifying to God when we are able to overcome it like He knew we could. It makes Him smile to know that we are strong and it is because we have sought and continue to seek His truth in everything!

Storms come. it's a fact of life. But if you stand there and just look at the damage it just starts to decay and rust and get even uglier. Eventually you have to start cleaning up and build again, from the foundation, to make a stronger steadier structure that can withstand the storm that comes next. But that's what is so beautiful. We don't go through the same storm twice! It may be in one area of our life that we have to clean up and build up before a storm can tear down another area of our life that we need work in. It's all so we "may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" like James says; and all to bring glory and honor to our Abba, who gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding, a comfort that exceeds any extraneous amount of chocolate, and has a brilliant and beautiful plan for our lives that puts to shame anything we could ever hope to accomplish on our own.

So I will praise Him in this storm. And I will praise Him in every storm. For giving me a chance to start over and strengthen an area of my life that is not bringing glory to God as it should, so that I may have utterance whenever I open my big fat mouth that I may "proclaim with boldness the mystery of the gospel" Ephesians 6:19, and so I can comfort those who are in the midst of similar storms.