“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side… then the waters would have swept over our soul.” Psalm 124:2, 5

The Worst of Times

Walk His Way Revisited

Yesterday I shared how I was visited by the beauty of the Lord, and it revived my weary soul. But another thought also came to me as I contemplated the unexpected way He visited me.

It was the storm that taught me. (He has the clouds at His command, so it is logical that He would use them to be my teacher.)

Storms. Those unexpected times when cloudbursts drench us—and we are inevitably unprepared with umbrellas and coats. Looking for sunny days and carefree breezes, we are met with darkness, thunderings and rumblings of anger, fear, sorrow, pride, or regret. We have questions but no answers. We are tumbling down a steep slope, unable to catch ourselves, to brace against the pain, to catch an overhanging branch to slow our decline.

This is a picture of the storms of life. If we were God, we would make it easy for ourselves—all sunshine and butterflies. Never mind that we would be stunted and parched, doomed to immaturity.

As I drove into the storm, it took me by surprise. Our land is parched. Even rain on the horizon rarely materializes into anything measurable. Day after day, the weather news reports “trace amounts of precipitation.” Yet there it was. Hard, driving rain.

I kept driving, of course, though more slowly and carefully. First an onslaught, then it would let up a bit, then come back forcefully. Driving, driving. Keep going, I’m not through the storm yet.

Then, the rain stopped. The lesson was unmistakable. We don’t stop in the storm. If we keep going, we finally come to the outer edges of it, then find ourselves to be in another world of sunshine and calm. We don’t forget the storm—we see and feel the effects of it still—but we are out.

If you are in a storm today, please keep going. Maybe the words “it’ll be OK” don’t comfort you; maybe it’s the last thing you want to hear. And I know that you may come out of your storm scarred, scared, broken, unsure, or grieving. I don’t pretend to understand your particular pain, nor do I diminish the reality of it in your life.

But this I know: God is with you. He is walking through the storm too, as He keeps you close, holds your hand, takes you in His arms, and whispers in your ears of His great love for you.

Don’t push Him away, ladies. If you are in desperate need of Him, He knows that and has come alongside you.

Lord, help us keep on driving through the storm until we come out of it on the other side. Don’t let the enemy give us a flat tire that derails us from continuing on our journey. Keep our spiritual engine running smoothly with Your maintenance; guide us by Your Word; and with Your help, we will face straight ahead and continue on. Amen.