Stormy Nest

The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. Psalm 135: 6-7

I woke up to the sound of thunder rumbling and lightning flashing through my bedroom window early this morning. Between the loud claps of thunder, I heard a bird singing outside in the midst of the storm, as if it was any other ordinary day.

It was quite timely this morning when my daily Bible reading passage contained Psalm 135. As the storm raged outside, I was reminded of who is in control of storms; the storms outside that rattle the windows, as well as personal "storms" of life that we all encounter from time to time. It's not a matter of if we will go through storms, but when. Nobody is immune to life's difficulties.

God allows us to go through various storms for a reason. He has a unique purpose for each of our lives and nothing happens outside of his will for us. It is never easy to face difficult situations, but if we accept each storm knowing God is in full control, we will be more likely to "sing" in the midst of those storms when they come.

Our attitude is a huge factor in how well we cope with the storms of life. Learning to accept them, and truly believing that God is in control, will enable us to walk through them much easier than if we try to fight against them. At times we won't understand why certain things happen and that is okay. We don't always have to know why. Sometimes life just doesn't make sense, and it won't make sense this side of heaven. We don't always have to have a solution to the problem. We don't always need to fix things. We only need to trust in the One who can calm the storm. I find it reassuring to realize we don't always need to figure things out and that we can rest assured that God knows what He is doing.

Contentment and peace comes when we surrender our difficult circumstances to God and trust In Him for the outcome. Then, like the bird singing in the midst of the storm this morning, we likewise can be joyful enough to sing in any circumstance, because we know the creator of the universe holds the outcome in His hands, and is working all things together for good for those who love Him.