I love storms. I always have. I remember as a child sitting on my grandmother’s front porch as a storm would roll in. Years ago, we didn’t have weather radar and storm warning systems in place. We just watched the sky to alert us that a storm was on the horizon.
Have you ever thought about the anatomy of a storm? What gives it power? In Tennessee, where I live now, most storms occur in the spring and summer months. Fueled by warm air and moisture, clouds form and storms result. Add in cold air from the upper atmosphere, allowing the cold air and warm air to collide, and you occasionally run the risk of severe storms like tornadoes.
But back on my grandma’s porch, I didn’t know or care about how storms worked. I just loved sitting next to my grandmother, enjoying the sweet aroma of the rain hitting the earth. We marveled at nature’s fireworks as lightning would streak across the sky. We would count how many seconds passed between the time the lightning flashed and the thunder would sound. We would jump and giggle when the lightning and thunder would occur simultaneously.
I remember lying in my bed, tucked in for the night at home, and feeling unafraid during storms. My childhood innocence allowed me to feel safe under the covers, certain that the storm outside my window would stay right where it was supposed to be…outside.
On the rare occasion when the storms would worsen, my parents would march us down the stairs to the basement to ride out the wind and the rain. I never remember feeling afraid, only safe in the refuge of the basement, in the presence of my parents who loved me and were watching over me.
I’m an adult now and storms still come. Some are actually weather-related storms. I still don’t mind these storms even though I no longer have a basement at my disposal. Other storms I’ve faced since entering adulthood are life storms. These life storms are the really scary ones. Health scares, financial challenges, loss of friendships, jobs, and family members all blow into our lives with the velocity and strength of a dangerous whirlwind. Sometimes we see the storm coming and can prepare. Sometimes the storm comes out of nowhere, catching us off-guard and shaking us to the core.
We can’t escape these types of storms by retreating to a basement. So where can we hide and seek shelter? Psalm 91 has been such a comfort to me when I find myself in the middle of these storms. It reads, “This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.”
We really can trust God, you know. The gospels talk about a time that Jesus was riding in a boat on a lake with some of his friends he called disciples. He was tired from teaching and healing the crowds of people who followed him everywhere he went. So he fell asleep. While he was sleeping, a storm blew in over the lake that scared his friends to death. They actually thought they were going to drown. So they woke Jesus up. Jesus spoke out, and rebuked the storm. Immediately all was calm. Luke 8:25 says, “The disciples were terrified and amazed. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked each other. ‘When he gives a command, even the winds and the waves obey him.’”
Realizing that God is our refuge should elicit the same emotions in us that the disciples felt about Jesus. When we are in his presence, it is appropriate and right that we would feel both terrified and amazed. We feel terrified because we are interacting with the creator of the universe. We feel amazed because that very creator of everything, including us, wants to be intimately and personally involved in our lives.
“Whether or not storms come, we can not choose. But where we stare during a storm, that we can.”
Max Lucado
But being in a relationship with God does not guarantee a life of sunshine and clear sailing. I have learned that lesson all too well. (If you are new to this blog, check out a previous post entitled “Pancho and Lefty: A Warrior’s Tale” for more details ) There is a popular song that addresses this exact topic. It’s called “Sometimes He Calms the Storm.” That’s what we all want, isn’t it? For life’s storms to go away? The song lyrics go on to say that when the storms are raging, sometimes “He calms his child” instead of the storm. With this outcome, we are given the opportunity to grow in our faith…conquering our fears as we look our storms squarely in the eye.
A man by the name of Horatio Stafford wrote a very famous song. That song is a hymn that has been sung in churches by millions of people over many, many years. The name of that hymn? “It is Well with my Soul.” Stafford weathered may storms throughout his life. He lost his son when he was only two-years old. He faced financial ruin during the famous Chicago fire. Later, after planning a trip to Europe, he sent his wife and 4 daughters ahead of him by ship, with plans to meet up with them later. The ship sank and all four of his daughters tragically lost their lives. He learned of the accident after receiving a telegraph from his wife explaining that she was the lone survivor of the family. Traveling by ship to meet his wife, and filled with the sadness of a grieving father, Stafford was informed when the ship reached the spot where the lives of his daughters were lost. It was during that time of looking out over the water that he penned the words to that age old hymn.
“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll.
Whatever my lot, though hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Lyrics by Horatio G. Stafford
I want to be like Mr. Stafford, don’t you? No matter what storm life may throw at me, let my response be, “It is well with my soul.” I still love a good thunderstorm. But I look at life’s storms differently now. I am grateful for the lessons they bring.
The first time I flew on an airplane, I was in my twenties. The skies were dark, the wind blew and the rain fell in sheets as our plane took off. But after climbing for just a few minutes, the plane broke through the clouds and my window seat allowed me to witness the blue sky and brilliant sun that had been shining all along. I just couldn’t see the sun because the clouds blocked my view.
If you are struggling in a stormy season, remember that God wants to be our refuge and safety. He is still there, even when the clouds block our view of his goodness. Look for him. He is better than any basement on any stormy day.