Johannesburg, South Africa, where I stay, is prone to the most exquisite and phenomenal "highveld" storms. One can open their curtains in the morning to the beautiful African sun and by late afternoon the blue sky has transformed into a grey-black blanket of storm clouds.
Personally, I love this weather. I love the feeling of being completely out of control of earth's "rampant temper" while knowing that I'm safe beneath a strong, sturdy roof.
So often in my spiritual walk there are times that can be related to this feeling.
Every Christian goes through hard times, through "storms" in their spiritual walks and while these situations are so often devestating and painful, we sometimes forget that God serves as the strong, sturdy roof above our head that protects us from real harm.
Storms present themselves differently to people. Storms may include financial difficulty, depression, addictions or the loss of loved ones.
These situations are so hard to deal with, even as a Christian who believes that God loves us and protects us.
Personally, there has been many situations in my life where I've found myself questioning why a God who promised to eternally love and protect me could have allowed situations that so deeply hurt me to occur. Everyone say's that He always has a plan that goes beyond our understanding but in difficult times those are words that are sometimes difficult to hear.
I have learnt, however, that even though those words are hard to swallow, they are essentially very true.
In stormy times, there is always a song that I listen to that helps me remember who is in control. It has become one of my favourite songs and I'd really like to share a snippet of it with you. The song is "Praise you in the Storm", by Casting Crowns...
"I was sure by now, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
Stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm"
and wiped our tears away,
Stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm"
The message that I'd like to share through this post is that there will always be times when you face hard situations. My pastor once said that you should be kind to strangers, as everyone you meet is facing some kind of battle.
I find it necessary in tough sitations to remind myself that God allows and uses every situation for His glory and our good.
Even if a situation feels like it's going to break you, He can use it to teach you something and more often than not you come through it as a better person. And maybe sometimes we need to go through tough times for Him to achieve something great through us.
He never promised that the road would be easy, but He did promise that He would be with you every step of the way...
xXx
On a different topic I'd really love to thank everyone that read and commented on my first post. I really do apreciate all the support I have recieved in my new blogging venture.
I hope you all have a very blessed New Year!
