Have you been experiencing monsoon season at your house these past two days? The rain we’ve had lately has been crazy. It has been more than a little shower. It has been a heavy downpour with lots of thunder and lightning which equals very little sleep in my house. We have a palladium window in our bedroom which allows a lot of sun in; however, it also magnifies the lightning when storms come. Have you ever tried to sleep with a flashlight blinking off and on in your face all night? It can be a bit annoying. If that doesn’t wake you, then a daughter who doesn’t like the storms climbing in your bed will. It makes for a rough night’s sleep when we have bad storms like these and we’ve had them two nights in a row now. Storms are never convenient and a lot of time they catch you off guard.
The same is true about storms in life. They can be unexpected, difficult to deal with, and can keep you from experiencing quality sleep. So why does a loving God allow difficult things to come into the lives of His children? Why doesn’t He just make life simple and easy for us? We’re standing there singing “Rain, Rain, Go away…” while He lets it continue to rain.
The Lord allows us to go through difficult times in order to shape us and mold us into the likeness of His Son. Contrary to what we may believe, He knows what we can handle and He will not allow us to be destroyed. He is always there with us [Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8]. He is our shield and our strength in times of trouble [Psalm 9:9; 41:1; 59:16; and Nahum 1:7]. While the storms of life trouble us, they never trouble God and if we seek Him in the midst of our storms, He can and will take care of them [Luke 24:36].
God will work everything together for our good [Romans 8:28]. However, He allows us to go through difficulties to strengthen our faith and make us in to the man or woman of God He has called us to be. We may feel like we feel His actual chisel in hand as He cuts off the pieces that don’t belong. Daniel Defoe said “God will often deliver us in a manner that seems initially to destroy us.” We can trust Him. We can rest in the knowledge that God has authority over all things, even the storms [Matthew 28:18]. He is faithful and just and will help us navigate the storm into safety, if we will seek Him.