JESUS provides the means for each of us to ride out our storms. storm systems will inevitably move into the life of every disciple. but stormy skies will also eventually blow over.
now JESUS doesn’t promise your life and mine perfect climate control. but HE does promise to stay close beside us no matter how hard the winds blow or how fiercely the rains beat down. HE’s our refuge in the time of storm.
with no air-conditioned, central-heated, insulated, weather-tight homes to dwell in, wild creatures are probably the best meteorologists. their survival from one season to the next, from one day to the next, depends on their ability to accurately “interpret the present time”.
for example, an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks. the majestic bird will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. when the storm hits, the eagle sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. while the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. the majestic eagle embodies the old norwegian saying that proclaims, “remember, above the clouds the sky is always blue.” the eagle does not escape the storm. it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. it rises on the winds that bring the storm.
when the storms of life come upon us—and all of us will experience them—we can rise above them by setting our minds and centering our trust on GOD. the storms do not have to overcome us. we can allow GOD’s power to lift us above them and become over-comers. GOD enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, disappointment, even death into our lives. we can soar above the storm.
remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down. it is how we handle the weights. like the eagle, when we sense storm time, we can use that knowledge to lift us upward and help us soar.
the bible says in isaiah 40.31 (msg), but those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. they spread their wings and soar like eagles.
just a thought from the front porch…
1 comment:
Lovely metaphor of the eagle rising above the storm. I suppose that's what I meant when I wrote: "Handing one's troubles over to God makes sense even to an atheist."
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