Praising God through the Storm
Do you ever feel as if God is trying to get your attention? This week was one of those weeks.
Wednesday evening, a huge storm system swept through our area. Our family was at church when the clouds darkened and the winds began to blow.
TV weathermen were warning folks to take cover as the system was building directly over our county. Funnel clouds had been spotted - one caught on camera making its way through our subdivision!
Rick and a few other guys on the security team notified the congregation to make our way to the back of the church building, the side nestled up against a huge mound of earth. Children were crying for their mommy. Some folks nervously checked the radar on their phones. Others just found a spot to hunker down and wait it out.
The lights flickered then went off. We could hear the wind and claps of thunder outside. Everyone shifted nervously as we rode out the storm.
One gentleman in the crowd began singing, This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine... more for the kids than anything, but soon everyone was joining in to the familiar children's song. Somehow, it brought peace to an otherwise chaotic moment.
Once the storm had passed, we were allowed to leave the church....in the dark. Damage was reported throughout the town, but thankfully our church and our home was spared, except for a few missing shingles.
The two days following, our church was still without power. Since I'm on staff there, I went both days, but being so dependent on computers to get any type of work done, we were all sent home due to an "act of God."
Things that earlier in the week I thought were important items on my to-do list, were now shoved to the darkness undone and unimportant.
As I sit here typing this, I'm again reminded how great our God is. We get so consumed with agendas, tasks, events, and everyday busyness, that we often forget that everything revolves around Him.
We become like the Old Testament man, Job, who in a blink of an eye lost all he had: his livestock, his servants, his ten children, and finally his health. God had allowed Satan to destroy all these things in order to test Job's faith in Him, and prove that he was a righteous man.
Job struggled. I would have struggled as well, and probably would not have been as patient as Job was. Testings such as this, often cause us to fall away, lose hope, or grow resentful. Yet Job, in the end, offered up these words:
42 1-6 Job answered God:
“I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”
So, as we go through our times of trial, let us be reminded that God is still in control. He alone knows our destiny and plans our steps. Our job is to be still, patiently wait, and praise Him in the storm.
In Job's case, his fortunes were restored twice as much as he had before. He was given back double the amount of livestock, had ten more children, lived another 140 years and saw four generations.
If God did this for Job, what more will He do for you?
Blessings,
Kristi
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