Like the Weather
May 9, 2015 by areliablefaith
Life is a lot like the weather. Sometimes it is wonderful like blue skies and pleasant temperatures. Other times it is rainy, dull, and dreary. And on occasion a storm or hurricane decides to roll through. For those in the northern climes we’ll say a blizzard blasts you. Today I sit on a balcony at Myrtle Beach as tropical storm Ana decides to come ashore. As storms go Ana is relatively mild. Still the wind gusts and at times driving rain are scuttling the plans of many as we hunker down inside and plan to “make the best of it.”
Today several of our friends are going through hurricanes in their lives. A precious 2 year old succumbed to cancer yesterday. Another friend lost her only brother who leaves behind a wife and two young daughters. Other friends are dealing with struggling relationships – marriages being attacked and threatened. These painful events are akin to the wind, rain, and battering waves that threaten to destroy beach, buildings, and any soul who mistakenly wanders out into the storm.
Jesus talked about exactly these sorts of situations and He used a weather metaphor to do so. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus describes the wise and foolish builders.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
I am an engineer so I know that there are many steps in building a good, solid house. Jesus really emphasizes only one point in this story – the foundation. You can do everything else in home construction perfect, but if you have a poor foundation the home will not stand when the earth shakes or the severe storm hits. Jesus and His teachings are the only truly solid foundation for life.
Just a little bit later in Matthew we see a real life example of Jesus’ authority demonstrated. Crossing the Sea of Galilee Jesus falls into an exhausted sleep in the boat when a squall breaks out. From Matthew 8: 23 – 27:
23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
For some storms in our lives Jesus will step in and calm the storm… the layoff passes us by, the diagnosis is marvelously / miraculously wrong, the wayward child comes to their senses and returns home. For many storms though the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, chooses to walk with us through the storm rather than still the storm. The promise of scripture and the experience of followers everywhere is that if the Lord doesn’t calm the storm, you can be certain He is with you in the storm. That is my story. Jesus’ peace, comfort, and grace have sustained and carried me through every storm I’ve experienced. And on the other side I am a better person with a stronger faith because of it. I have been in a particular storm for the past year plus, but I see the end of this storm on the horizon and I am excited.
As I’ve written the bands of wind and rain have continued to sweep through and yet I feel joy in my heart as if it where a beautiful, spring morning. I know Him who is the foundation of life and He is my strength and shield. I don’t know where you are in your life, but there is a truth our pastor says fairly frequently. “Whoever you are you can be certain one of three things is true. Either you are in a storm, you’ve recently come through a storm, or there is a storm in your future.” This would be pretty discouraging IF we didn’t have a sovereign God who knew how to bring good out of every storm and Who walks with us through them.
If Jesus and His words are your life foundation, then join me in praising Him in the rain. If you do not yet know Him, please comment to my blog and I will be happy to reach out and introduce you to the Lover of your soul who wants to be your foundation. Ask the Lord to help you know Him. Also pick up the bible and start reading. The gospels are the best choice, but I would be happy to correspond with you and give you some suggestions based upon your life situation.
Be blessed today and be a blessing whether you are in the sunshine or in the rain.
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