Weathering The Storms of Life

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Weathering The Storms of Life

by Stephanie Shrum

Storms come and go. Sometimes, we get warnings that one is on the way, and other times they hit suddenly and unexpectedly. Some can be quite frightening.

I recall a time that a strain of tornados blew through the area where I live. My children and I were in our safe place when the power went out and our cell service stopped. We had lost all contact with the outside world. The last text we had received from a friend explained that there was a massive tornado tearing through our small town. Then everything went still. We sat in the closet underneath the staircase in our home with our only hope—prayer. As I prayed, the Lord softly spoke to my spirit, “Psalm 91.” In this passage, it says that He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge. It brought comfort and peace amid uncertainty. Although I could not see what was happing around me—now I am thankful for that—I knew that God was with us and that He was assuring us of safety. What a tremendous relief that was.

The next day, I ventured out to assess the damage. The entire town was hit by multiple tornados. I spoke with one of my neighbors who informed me that he had watched what looked like one headed directly toward my house but then it turned and went around it. There was no damage to my property. I was reminded of another portion of that passage that says, “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.’”

This is not to say that this passage will always be relevant. At that moment during that particular storm, the Lord knew the outcome for me was good and the Holy Spirit gave comfort as promised. (“He will give you another comforter” John 14:16).

We all go through storms, sometimes literal weather issues, other times stressful life issues, like sickness, loss, heartache, etc. When you are in the middle of chaos, it is difficult to keep calm and stay in faith. We have to wait it out, sometimes in prayerful peace and other times in panic.

When it is over and things settle down, only then can we look at the entire picture and see that God was there all along and can be trusted. We are not promised a life without storms, but the Lord has promised to weather those storms with us. Fortunately, I am learning with each one to trust in the Lord a little more and hopefully handle the next one with a bit more grace.

The next time you find yourself in the middle of a storm, invite Jesus in and let Him keep you in His Perfect Peace. (“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you” Isaiah 26:3).

About The Author Stephanie Shrum is the ASA for PCM/ J103/ComeOnLetsGo ministries. She is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She is also the author/creator of the blog: runninganegativesplit.com.