I love it when God speaks to me through metaphors. Today, He chose to speak to me through a storm.
Tonight it was storming when I got off of work in Nacogdoches. I went to my apartment, packed my bags, and headed to Lufkin to spend the evening with my family. As I was driving, it was raining pretty hard and I was not happy with the thought that I was about to have to drive 30 minutes in a storm. Literally less than 5 minutes down the road, I kind of began to chuckle because the sky was blue and beautiful. I looked in my rearview mirror and it was dark and black and rainy. That’s when God got the wheels a’turnin and hit me with this beautiful metaphor.
Sometimes in life, we go through storms. While we are in those storms, it’s really frustrating and hard and difficult. Sometimes we feel like the storm is going to go on forever but God is just smiling knowing that the sun will shine just a little bit down the road. Sooner than we know it, the storm that we thought would surely overtake us is over as quickly as it began.
Sometimes the storms aren’t so short. Sometimes life hits us with full on 100 MPH hurricanes and leaves us devastated. Sometimes, at the end of a storm, we feel so wrecked that we have no idea how we will ever recover. Even though these storms are fierce, they will always end.
At the end of a storm, there is always a rainbow. In Genesis 9:14-15 God said “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”
When I think about this verse and apply it to my life, I am seriously blown away. All of my life, I have struggled with depression. During these past few years, I struggled heavily and there was a point where the storms of my life were so bad that I wanted to take my own life. How absolutely beautiful is it that God promises that He will never send a storm so overwhelming that it will take away my life?
Yeah, the storms are going to come.
Sometimes it will be cloudy.
Sometimes it will be a light drizzle.
Other times, it’s gonna stinkin pour.
But “God is faithful; he will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear. When I am tempted, he will also provide a way out so that I can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
No matter what storms may come my way, there will always be a calm, there will always be sunshine, and there will always be a rainbow. God will never put me through anything too overwhelming that it will take my life. He will never give me more than I can handle. He will always take care of me. I will never be alone in the storm. It is such a beautiful and comforting feeling to know that even though the storms of life may come, My God will always protect me and He has promised to never let the storms of life overtake me.
No matter where life takes me or what storms may come my way, as long as I am in the middle of God’s will, I will be right where I need to be.
My situation in life will not determine my position, but my position as a child of Christ determines my situation. Just because life gets hard doesn’t mean I have to get down as well. I am a child of Christ and that will never change. My position is in Him, and in Him I will always be right where I need to be.
Ps. Look at this beautiful sunset after the storm. Isn’t that awesome!? God makes such beautiful things out of such mess and chaos. My God is amazing.
