There's A Blessing In The Storm

"The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and storm" (Nahum 1:3).

God is sovereign.  He can do anything He wants to do, any way He wants to do it.  If He decides to turn my world upside down at a moment's notice He will.  When you have submitted your life to God, you have given Him permission to have His way in your life.  'Have thine own way Lord.  Have thine own way.  Thou are the potter, I am the clay.  Mold me and make me after thy will.  While I am waiting, yielded and still'.  Maybe you didn't realize that the day you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, He became your commander-in-chief.  Whatever it is that may be going on in your life is divinely designed.  God has either sent it or allowed it to take place in your life.  Even though you may stray away you will never get to a place too far out of His reach.  There may be times when He has to send the storm to reel you back in.  There may be times when the whirlwind must come to bring you back to a place of remembrance.  How soon we forget where the Lord brought us from.  Whether you realize it or not, only God can say "Peace be still" and provide safety for you.  Your safety is not in your husband, your wife, your job, your parents or your best friend.  They may be instruments that God uses to bless you but never forget God can use your enemies to bless you. 

There are times when our lives are hectic.  Each morning we are running from one place to another.  Never taking a moment to slow down.  Heaven forbid if a kink gets thrown into our normal routine. An unexpected storm comes up out of no where.  A bill you did not expect.  A death in the family.  A sick child.  Massive layoffs at the job.  In most cases when this happens we don't know what we are going to do. That is why our hope must be in God.  When we completely trust in Him, we don't have to worry about what the result of the storm will be.  We already know.  'And we know that all things work together for the good of them that love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose'...Romans 8:28.  It's winter right now in Oklahoma.  That means the possibility of severe weather.  Over the past two weeks, that threat happens to be snow.  When this happens the weatherman stays on all day with his/her predictions of how many inches of snow and ice there will be.  Sometimes they are right on track and other times they are so far off base.  In the life of the believer we don't have to sit around and wait for others to predict what will happen in our life.  The Bible tells us that 'we will have trials and tribulations'.  Your situation may be out-of-control but God is always in control.  Maybe the winds of your life are intensifying right now.  Methods you once used to navigate your life by are no longer readily available to you.  Or maybe you have tried them and they just don't seem to work anymore.  If you relax and let God operate, then you will soon discover the blessing beyond the storm.  The storm that seemed at first to disrupt your life, was the much needed mechanism to make room for your blessing.  The winds had to blow to move out all that additional clutter that was keeping you from the work God has designed for you. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Although I may understand it at first, I want to thank you for my storms.  I see now that they have helped to make me into the person that I am today.  Because of the storms you have allowed in my life I am stronger. I know that I must continue to rely on You and not on my own strength.  Open my eyes so that I may always see the blessing in the storm.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.