Day by day, even moment by moment, the storms roll in… lightning and thunder crash around us, hail falls like bullets, and the rain soaks us through to the bone.
And with those storms come fear and anxiety, despair, pain and loss.
It’s easy to see why the disciples wanted Jesus to calm the storm… and of course, He did, but not before the disciples were likely made to endure the worst of the storm seemingly on their own while Jesus took a nap.
Someone said to me recently that they wished that God would take away the worst bits of the storm — the thunder and lightning, and definitely the hail, and maybe just let it rain.
After all, it’s the rain that waters the earth and fills the tanks, and revives the grass and plants and crops, and quenches the thirst of animals and humans alike.
Except that there’s more to the story.
An old lucerne farmer told me once that he grows his best crops during thunderstorms. He said it’s because the lightning activates the nitrogen in the air and soil, which helps to produce a better crop and a greater yield.
In other words, the very things that make a storm so scary are the very things that are designed to make us grow.
When we’re in the midst of the storm, it’s lovely to think that God might just let the rain fall, and remove the scary bits.
But if God does that, then we miss the opportunity to grow stronger, to produce a greater yield, to become the person he designed and created us to be.
Good stuff Ivan. Trust that you enjoyed Darwin again, and the team up there.
Yes, storms do play important parts in farmer’s lives, in businessmen’s lives, in ordinary folk’s lives, and hopefully, every storm teaches us believers more about trusting God, and that we may learn things through the tough times, that we would never learn otherwise. Alleluia! Hope my leadership notes held some Gems for you, blessings and regards,
Kev and Eve
A good word bro
Hi Ivan, sometimes the severity of the storms depend on the fertility of the soil.
I look back on particular seasons in my life and I realize that God, in his love and desire to restore fellowship with me, sent a shower which I did not even notice, then a stronger rain which I chose to ignore, then a strong storm which I finally recognized for what it was, but I still chose to find a cave to hide in until it seemed to pass.
Thankfully though, his relentless love is so great, that he then sent a cyclone which tore my world apart and finally the seed of life germinated within me and all that the cyclone had destroyed was eventually replaced and increased, when I responded to the life germinating power of his love.
So yes welcome the storms and turn to him quickly when they arrive to ensure that you receive the greatest possible yield from them.