Do you know what a perfect storm is? If you watched the movie by that name, it means conditions are perfect for something phenomenal to happen. It that case, conditions were right for converging weather systems to being the storm of all storms and the vessel was caught in it. {Spoiler: it sank}.
Life is sometimes like that. So is reading. Three different sources this morning-no, four if you count my re-read of Psalm 13 from the previous morning-combined to be a perfect storm.
The writer of Our Daily Bread (August 14) wrote about not understanding when God is work or how.
Bob Goff wrote about God’s delays (p.273) which can be merely annoying, and some devastating. They cause us to wonder if God is even there and if He is good.
Another source-a book on HOPE-carries the same message as the others. Even though we cannot see or feel Him, He is always present and will help us through the darkest nights.
Then I re-read what is one of my favorite psalms-Psalm 13. The message of that psalm rings out loud and clear. But…you will have to wait until tomorrow for a fuller explanation. 🙂
All that to say, God made His point this morning. No matter whether He looks like it or not; no matter whether I feel like it or not; no matter how dark it seems; and no matter how dense the cloud cover, God is there. In that I can place my trust.
“Father, whether it appears to be so or not, You are there. Help me to trust You in the dark and in the clouds.”
We do need to always trust that God is with us whether we can “feel” His presence or not. He will see us through all the storms of life.
Blessings, Bill!
Agreed Martha. Hope the memorial for your mom went well on Saturday.
Coming late to the game today…
Perfect Storms… Not even on the same scale as many face in life… nor of ones I myself have faced…
But, it was a perfect work storm last week. I won’t go into details, but sometimes all you can do is just step away. Problems can consume and life problems have a way of just making you miserable if you let it. I struggle at times knowing God is there but not being able to really feel His presence.
My brain reverts to what I know… which is infinitely less that what God knows… but when my kids are hurting, I give them a hug, and let them know I care, I let them know how much I love them. Sometimes they reciprocate in the moment, sometimes they would prefer to wallow a bit in their sorrows… I guess I do as well at times. All that said, your prayer is spot on… Help me to trust in the dark and in the clouds.
I think we all have those days and weeks Ryan. What our head says and what our heart says/feels are two different things. That is when all we can do is bow our head and resign to His will…even in the dark.