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Shelter From the Storms

“I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You, Yourself, are the answer.” 

—C.S. Lewis

On October 29, 2012, hundreds of thousands of people—from the Caribbean up the Eastern Coast of the United States—faced their worst nightmare: Superstorm Sandy. Called a superstorm for its hurricane-force winds merged with a powerful frontal system, Sandy ravaged the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine, west across the Appalachian Mountains and into the Midwest, leaving death and destruction in her wake.

Families in the storm’s path were ripped from the lives they knew, thrust into the darkness and despair of loss. For many who lost everything it had to feel as if God had abandoned them.

Whether or not you’ve ever been affected by a natural disaster, you may know what it is to feel like God has abandoned you. Perhaps some other tragedy has rocked you—the death of a loved one, a debilitating accident, a dreaded diagnosis, the loss of a home, property, or your job.

Such things can become your own superstorm. You may feel as if your whole world has been turned upside down and you’re very much alone. It can leave you asking, “Where are you, God?”

But you are not alone. In the midst of life’s storms, God is with you. Even if you do not feel him near, he is there. You can be sure it’s true, “because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

Wherever you are, God is. He is with you before, during, and after life’s storms, never losing sight of you or your suffering. Consider some of the ways this truth is expressed in the Psalms:

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (23:4).

“If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (139:7-11).

The key to life’s stormy seasons is to cling to this truth: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (46:1).

Storms come and go in life. Sometimes they’re forecast—we know they’re on their way. Sometimes they stir up suddenly. Either way, God is not caught off-guard—and He’s there to accompany us through.

 

My prayer this week—Gracious Lord, it’s my desire to acknowledge and thank you in all seasons—those of tempest and those of ease. Will you strengthen my faith and confidence to trust you are there, and grow my ability to rest in you? Will you help me also to be an encouragement to others experiencing seasons of storm?