Heaven Sent

What do you think of when you hear the words 'heaven sent'? My guess would be that you think of something positive...your spouse, your children, a job, an unexpected check in the mail. You could easily describe any of these things with the words 'heaven sent'. Today I want to talk to you about a different kind of heaven sent. This kind is not often thought of in a positive light but more often in a negative light. The 'heaven sent' that I am talking about is the storms of life.


One of the best examples I can think of to explain this is the story of Job. Do you recall the conversation that God had with Satan? Satan had been going back and forth across the earth, watching everything that was going on. The Lord asked him if he had noticed His servant Job? Take a moment and read Job 1:6-12. In the story you see that God removed his hand from Job so that Satan could test him. This certainly doesn't sound like something you would want the Lord to do. Yet the Lord removed His barriers of protection and allowed it.

 remember the first time I read this story. I sat there wondering why would God allow such a thing. I heard the story as a child and then again as I got older. I didn't quite understand God's sovereignty or the purpose of storms. But now I have lived a little and been through some things and have a better understanding of what took place. Therefore the simples answer to the question would be that just as Satan was watching Job so was God. Go back and read verse 5. The verse ends by saying, 'this was Job's regular practice'. You see God knew that Job had made a regular practice of being prayed up. This verse spoke of his prayers for his children, but I would almost bet that was not the only thing his prayers included. The point I am trying to get across is that he had spent regular time with God. God knew he could handle it. Now Job didn't have any idea this was coming. His life was going pretty well. Boy was he in for a shocker!

I have a question for you. Why do we as believers continue to be so shocked by the storms of life? When will we finally accept them as being a part of our Christian journey? Maybe some of you do see them as a part of your Christian journey, yet you continue to moan and groan and whine every time a new storm comes in your life. When God has a hand on your life, he knows every thing about you. He knows how strong you are...most of the time stronger than you think. I know they don't feel good. As a matter of fact, that's an understatement. They down right hurt. But they always serve a purpose. That purpose is to make you better. Earlier I listed a few things that you might think of as 'heaven sent'. I am sure you probably have your own lists of things. Today I want to challenge you to add a new item to your list - storms. You see, storms are heaven sent because when God removes His barriers of protection, just give Him some time, because He will surely restore the joy of your salvation to prepare you for your heavenly reward. I love what Chuck Swindoll says, "Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it." I wonder what would happen if our reaction to the storms of life changed to 'Praise'. Instead of complaining to God about what is going on, we lifted our voices in praise, thanking Him for His heavenly gift.



Most Gracious Heavenyly Father,

I most definitely have not had the best response when storms have entered my life, especially when I am trying to do what is right. It's not easy to go through difficult times. Help me to recognize your hand on my life during the storm. I want to change my perspective from complaining to praising. This will be a complete attitude shift for me but I know that I can do it with your help. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.