THE PERFECT STORM

I recently took a road trip to Orlando. The weather was perfect as we left home. The sun was in the sky and the traffic was light. As we continued on our trip, however, the sky started to darken, the wind started to blow, and rain threatened to fall. About an hour into the trip, we drove right into the storm. The rain was falling so hard that traffic came to a near stop. It was hard to see out of the windshield. The roads were slippery. After about ten minutes, the rain lightened up and traffic returned to a normal pace. The clouds were still out but the fog was clearing, making it easier to see the road. Relieved that I’d made it out of the storm, I traveled along for another ten minutes before the storm suddenly reappeared. Visibility diminished, the road filled with water and traffic slowed. Like before, the sun was barely peeking out from among the clouds but it was there nonetheless. After another few minutes of driving through these conditions, the storm lightened. The sun came out a little more this time and the rain stopped completely.

For a full hour, the storm came and went in this same fashion. Frustrated, I questioned God why He allowed the storm to last so long. Why hadn’t the storm passed me by already? God responded that life works the same way. Storms come and go intermittently throughout our lives. Heavy rains, low visibility and slick traveling conditions can make life almost unbearable. But just as we’re about to give up, the rain lets up and the Son becomes visible again. I thought it was interesting that no matter how hard it rained or how heavy the clouds looked, I knew the sun was still there waiting for me to pass through the storm to the other side. And I knew that the rain couldn’t last always – it never does. The storm always lets up, the rain always stops, and the sun always shines again.

It is hard to have hope in the midst of the storm. When rain is pouring down on you, thunder crashes above, and lightning relentlessly threatens you, your first reaction may be to cower in fear. But Jesus told us He came to give us peace. "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Jesus did not promise that we would be exempt from tribulation as children of God. Instead, He told us that He has already overcome the world – we already have victory through Christ. That means that whatever storm you’re facing, Jesus has already overcome it. Just like the sun was ever present during my rainy road trip, the Son is ever present during our storms – it’s our responsibility to put our trust in Him, knowing that he has already conquered those things which threaten to push us off the road.