Come Rain or Come Shine
I have to confess that there were times when I have let the weather decide my mood. You know like a how a rainy day can make us sad and a sunny one brings out our optimistic side. As Christians we need to learn that we cannot put our trust in things as unpredictable as the weather. The sun has been shining for weeks here in Florida, but my spirit has been at an all-time low; but today it is raining and I feel great. The clouds in my heart have lifted and the joy I feel is much warmer than the temperature on my thermometer. All because I came to the realization that, God is good, come rain or come shine. I have God’s promise of love and support. Psalm 28:7 says
“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”
I have to admit that I saw a picture on Facebook, of my friend looking happy and getting settled in her new home. My Mother is feeling better and even made it back to church two weeks in a row. So, these things may have a little something to do with my improved outlook on life. But the real reason is that I have learned that to trust God brings peace. But what about the days when the things don’t go as we hoped they would? Do we have the trust and faith in the Lord to say “it is all well with my soul?” To be glad when the rain is pouring, or when people we love let us down or worse yet stay sick. Even the disciples became afraid and lost their faith at Jesus’ feet when the storm was rocking their boat. They cried out to Him “Don’t you care that we may drown?” His answer in Mark 4:39
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Was a very strong scolding on their lack of faith. They have been spending their days with Jesus, they have seen Him cure the sick, heal the lame, and now they are afraid of a storm. The disciples didn’t need to panic; they only needed to lean on the One who created the storm and the sun, the One who was right there in the boat with them. Like the disciples we have trouble understanding God’s ways. When I was younger, I sure wondered why He made me the way I was. I wanted legs that would run and a back that was straight. I wanted to shout at Him in the middle of my storm, “Don’t you care about me, and what I want?” Like the disciples with their little faith, it was hard for me to see the plan God had for my legs and back. We need to know that sometimes the storms we face are tests of our faith, and sometimes storms are just storms. But it is how we face those storms; that build our faith, and our inner strength that comes from trusting the Lord. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”
How do we learn to trust the Lord when it goes against our understanding? In my case it took a long time for me to see that God was using my storm to help others. When you ask God, “don’t you care..?” Is it your health, your finances, your children? Have you asked Him to help you understand His plan for your life, have you even asked Him to reveal His plan to you? Most people just get up each day and go through the motions, bumping around and then wondering what their purpose is in this world. God knows your story from the beginning to the end. He knows what is coming next. God wants you to be happy and excited about each day, including the rainy ones. Take your worries and desires to the Lord in prayer, learn how to trust Him. And then get ready to see the sun break out in your life and you can say like Psalm 118:24
“This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”