Because of the Storm

    Though the picture above doesn't fully capture the magnificent site we experienced last week, but serves it's purpose for illustration. When I saw this I was just stunned because minutes before we needed candles to see inside the house. (We had also lost power.) It had been grey and snowing for the better part of the day then suddenly, everything stopped and the sun managed to break through the clouds at sunset. The only thing the sun was shining on around us were the tops of the snow covered trees and it lit up the whole neighborhood. It was indescribable. 

  The next day I still couldn't get the images out of my mind. I started to think about the times in life when we're in the middle of one of life's storms and how our first reaction is waiting for someone or something to rescue us. For me, I pray. I believe that when I call upon the name of my God, that He will come rescue me and He has proven that every single time. There are times the storm is short and there are times it feels like there will be no end. But I know if I set my eyes above, I will see the light. I know that even in the eye of the storm, I am never alone. 
         
         Psalm 121
 I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!
 He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.
 The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
 The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.
 The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever.

  This doesn't mean that our storms will stop once we ask, but the Lord will walk you through it. Him coming to our rescue doesn't necessarily mean instant results because in all truth, sometimes we need that storm. Sometimes we need to be woken up or shaken up to get to that next level in our faith. Sometimes God will use these trials to prove His power and His love. This past Sunday our Pastor spoke about this very thing, using the experience of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. (Daniel 3) The three refused to bow to an idol and proclaimed their belief in God. The King had them thrown in the furnace. Much to the King's surprise, when he looked in the fire he saw the three walking around with a fourth man. He described this man to have looked like "a God". He then called them out of the furnace shouting, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” There was no evidence they had even been in the fire, to the point where they didn't even smell like smoke! How much more effective was the presence of God in the fire than if He had stopped them from going in at all? It's like that with life's storms. Sometimes the effectiveness is stronger when we have no choice but to put our full trust and attention on Him. 

  The scene I saw last week pointed not to life's storms, but to the incredibly powerful first moments when we come out of those storms. To me it represented the peace and nearness of God. The "be still" moments. The newness of knowing just one more thing about His goodness. The revealing of one more glimpse of His beauty. The impact of these moments always seem to be more significant right after those storms because the fact is these moments are more powerful than the eye of the storm you were in. (Think of it as the relief when getting that first sip of water on a hot summer day.) It's always because of His faithfulness and mercy that we are able to bask in His glory. Your storm isn't the end, it's a beginning of a deeper understanding of who God truly is.     

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. -Romans 8:18