While I was out of town this weekend I heard it rained constantly here. I heard the thunder went on for two days. I felt for the lady watching my dog - he is petrified of thunder. He growls, barks and is just unsettled. There is no rest. I think most of us are scared of storms - storms of life. Most of us growl, complain and are unsettled and are quickly tired of tough times. I thank God for the hard times because I know that is when we grow but sometimes I want a break. Wouldn't it be wonderful to hit fast forward and skip the heartache and hit play at the good parts? We deal with things that make us want to ask God, "why"? But I already know why. The times in my life that I have had crash courses in spiritual growth have been where the storms were bad and stayed a while! We have to have the rain if we want a rainbow.
When do rainbows appear? Only after the clouds clear. I am ready for the rainbow because that is God's promise of the gifts yet to come. But in the meantime I know I have to trust God. And trusting God means I am not in control of all situations. Trusting God means not being scared of what could happen and trust Him to provide for today. Trusting God means knowing that He can carry it all. Trusting God means that He has the best plans.
I need to change my focus. God's got the other stuff and the what if's. I just need to live in the moment and realize today's blessings. Think of those in Scripture who lost focus. Moses let his fear of speaking to the rock as god commanded keep him from entering the Promised Land. Eve became to focused on the forbidden fruit and missed out on the best things is paradise. Esau became so focused on his stew that he missed out on his birthright.
Each of us has a free will and we can make our own choices. Psalm 142: 3, "When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way..." Zephaniah 3: 17, "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” These are the truths.
No matter where we are on our journey with God He is with us. No matter how many times we have prayed, He is with us. No matter how many times we have read the Bible, He is with us. No matter how "bad" we have been, He is with us. No matter how overwhelmed we feel, He is with us. We are never alone! God is walking with us and clearing the path for us. He wants us to let Him push the discouragement and distractions out of the way so we can focus on Him. When we focus on Him He gives us love, encouragement and hope. And when we look to Him we are no longer feeling the unsettled feelings but we are filled with peace. The peace that has to come from God. Philippians 4: 7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
While we may not understand God's plans we can trust Him. He will never lead us astray. Because of His amazing love, when times are tough we can still have joy and not be afraid. Let's thank Him for the rainbows that He sends after the storms of life!