The Storm and its Purpose

I recently woke in the middle of the night for my regular visit to the restroom. Before I drifted back to sleep, I heard light hail then strong rains. The storm didn’t last long; finished before I returned to my dreams.

Storms are curious things. Some are short, like the one I encountered recently, and others last for hours or even days.

The morning after I heard the storm, the ground was wet, puddles full of water, but by midday there was no sign it had rained the previous night. The storm and its aftermath were history.

Last year we had frequent and heavy rains around my home town that caused multiple floods. Schools were canceled, roads were blocked, gates were locked to keep the river from flooding the city, cars got stuck, and crops were ruined. The results of those storms affected things in our community for weeks and even months.

We constantly deal with storms in our lives. Some are short, quickly forgotten within hours or days of the experience. Maybe they water our character much like last night’s storm watered the grass but had no other lasting effect.

Other storms will come and go but their impact will remain for months, years, and sometimes for the rest of our lives.

Our current storm, COVID-19, will continue for some time. Although it will end, at least in a significantly-impacting-the-world kind of way, it will live with each of us for the rest of our lives.

No matter the size of storm in your life, you can take comfort that God is in control—no matter how things look.

That doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily understand the reason for the storm.

In Genesis, God was the cause of the storm, bringing his judgment to the Earth, but protecting Noah and his family.

In the gospels, Jesus rebuked and stopped a storm that threatened to destroy a boat transporting him and his disciples.

In Job, God allowed Satan to use a storm (a mighty wind) to kill Job’s children.

God’s role in each of these situations was different, yet they have one thing in common: God was in control.

So whether we’re dealing with a minor storm that comes and goes or a major one that floods and destroys, God has a purpose for that storm in your life.

We can’t know God’s purpose for COVID-19 on our land, but we know that God has a plan in the midst of this storm that has upended our world, nation, state, and local communities.

We know that God is with us in the midst of this pandemic. And we know that God is in control.

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3 Responses to The Storm and its Purpose

  1. Brenda says:

    Relevant; especially in relatuon to today’s storms and written well to reflect upon His Plan

  2. Charlene Danford says:

    gives you something to think about. Enjoyed the read.

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