Sunday, December 22, 2013

when the rain comes



It happens.  The rains come.  Sometimes its a gentle rain and you are Calm. Peaceful. Soothed even.  But then the storms come.  When buckets of rain falls on your head and you feel like you are going to drown.  Nothing is going right. Things are falling apart and you feel like if God doesn't stop it soon, you are going to drown.   You wonder why God is sending these storms in your life and you have two choices:  you can drown in them or you can learn from them.

Drowning in them - doesn't sound like a good choice, but it happens.  We get discouraged, downtrodden, lose hope and we can no longer lift our heads.  We feel as if this dark time will never end, that we will never see the sun shine on us again.   I'm sure you've been there - in the loss of a child, in the flood of a home, in the depth of despair when you don't know where the next meal will come from to feed your family, when you can't find a job after weeks or even months of trying.  All you want to do is give up and let the rain waters take you away.  But God told us in Jeremiah 29:8 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper you and to not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Hope - the one word you can grab hold of during your storm.  God gives us hope.  And when we have HOPE, that is when we learn from our storms, instead of drown in them.  In Psalm 107:29 it says "He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love"  Even when its raining hard and we feel like we are about to lose it, God is there with us.   He is waiting to calm the storm.  He will guide us to our safe haven because he loves us, but He wants us to have FAITH in Him.  In Luke 8:24-25 it speaks of the disciples and their fear in the storm "Master, Master, we're going to drown" Sound familiar? He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.  

When we go through these storms in our life - leaky roofs, broken sinks, car troubles, no job, whatever our storm may be, God is saying to us "Where is your faith?".  We all doubt - I do.  I did yesterday when water poured in from two different spots in my ceiling.  I didn't think I could take any more...but I can.  And I will.  Because through it all, God is there and He's saying "Stacie, where is your faith?" "Stacie, I have plans for you! Plans to not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".  God tells us in His word that He will never leave us - no matter what storm we are in.  So, have FAITH.  He will see you through, and at the end of it, when the rain stops and the sun shines again, you will see the rainbow of hope.  God sends these storms to see where we are weak and where we are strong.  Those leaks in my roof are the weak spots.  Time to fortify them, strengthen them.  In our storms, he sees where we are weak and helps us fix the broken parts.  It makes us stronger.  So, stand strong in you storms and have Faith - God will never leave you!


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