If you aren't in a storm of life right now, you have been in the past or you will face one in the future. Proverbial storms are a fact of life. In most locations, physical storms of varying kinds are also a fact of life.
I have friends caught in the historic winter storm that covered Texas and the Mid-West a couple of years ago. Given that it doesn't snow in Texas often and certainly not to that magnitude, many were caught off-guard. As roadways piled high with snow and became impassable, motorists were stranded. What started as rolling brown-outs became power outages critical in nature and millions left in the cold and dark. The majority of those I know have no alternative heat sources and had to bundle in layers inside their homes or try to make their way to a warming center.
Too often we hear of storms such as the one that hit the shoreline in North Carolina just north of Myrtle Beach. The shoreline was devastated by a tornado that ripped through with little warning, while many were sleeping. The tightknit community immediately found themselves thrust into chaos that left a wake of flattened homes, injuries, and deaths. Even today, I have friends in the 'red zone' and I am praying for their safety. For some, such warnings are a way of life.
Others I know have recently been hit with storms different than the physical. A phone call that revealed a cancer diagnosis. Another call disclosing test results that were not what anyone wanted to hear. Several friends and acquaintances have suffered through COVID and the aftermath of symptoms that don't seem to end. Moms are riding the stormy waves of the work-life balance. Others are facing economic storms as jobs have been lost and bills remain unpaid, while housing and food costs soar to unprecedented highs. Yet others are battling the storms of depression and anxiety. Today, my family and I remember the anniversary of the day my nephew drowned in a tragic accident.
Whatever the storm, each person finds themselves in turmoil and desperate for peace. Isaiah 26:3 (TLB) says "He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thought often turn to the Lord."
The answer to finding peace in the storm is simplistic, yet ever so challenging to accomplish. You must trust Him, and keep your thoughts focused on Him. Not that we are to pretend that the storms are not real, and not that we aren't allowed to grieve the realities. We are human and have emotions, and the Lord God doesn't expect us to smile and be happy when we are facing dire circumstances. Yet He supernaturally gives peace to those who will put their trust in Him, in the face of a diagnosis the medical team doesn't have a positive prognosis for. He gives peace to the one who finds themselves stranded in the cold and dark house yet still trusting that God is in control and will work all things together for their good. (Romans 8:28).
For those who intentionally pray and turn their thoughts to the Lord often, there will be peace. Peace will be found by those who lift their voices in praise, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs while the storm rages. There will be peace in the valley, even the valley of the shadow of death, for those who trust the Lord and keep their focus on Him. Peace comes in knowing Jesus and knowing He is with you. He doesn't leave you or forsake you. He is with you in the storm.
Being omnipresent means that God is not just in your present circumstances, but in your future. Our omniscient (all knowing) God has things well in-hand, according to His timing and His plan. I pray you take comfort in that knowledge today and you are able to trust Him in the midst of your storm.
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