Until The Storm Is Over

With the storms passing through my area, I was reminded of another legacy that has been passed down through my family. My mom was always intrigued by thunderstorms. As a child, I didn’t have much interest in them (they were quite common in Arizona) until I was at my grandma’s house one night when I was 9 or 10. We were out on the front porch and a storm was passing through. We were watching the lightning and counting the seconds before the thunder boomed. Grandma said that the number of seconds between the lightning strike and the boom told us how many miles away the storm was. She also told me a story of one of her childhood experiences. A cloud passed over the car she was riding in and it was only the length of her car. The rain fell from the front to the rear and then they drove out of it. I pictured a cloud hovering over their car like those rain clouds that hover over cartoon characters when they’re feeling sad. Needless to say, I was fascinated by thunderstorms from that point on, just like my grandma and my mom. In Oklahoma, thunderstorms are a little scarier because they have the potential to produce hail or tornadoes, but I still love the clouds and the rain. If anyone took a look at my photos on my computer or in my camera, they’d be able to tell I have an avid fascination with clouds. They can take on so many shapes and reflect so many colors during a sunrise or sunset. They can be so beautiful and magnificent like God’s painting in the sky. I could go on and on about what I’ve learned about weather and how I’ve used it as a theme in many of the lessons I did for my education classes at OBU. I should have been a meteorologist, although it would be a difficult job here in Oklahoma with its rollercoaster weather.

Life has its rainy days. Sometimes things get stormy and it feels like your world is crashing in on you. Will the house you built stand up against the wind and floods? It may even feel like Oklahoma sometimes, where you’re burning up one day and freezing cold the next. The storms of life can make us unstable and the darkness may seem like it never ends. But God can calm the storm; He’s the light that brings the rainbow into view. “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.” (Ps. 107:28-30, NIV)

“He stilled the storm to a whisper…” I love the phrasing in that verse. When everything seems to be hammering in on you and your mind is full of worries and burdens, it can feel like it’s shouting at you. Or, at least that’s how I feel sometimes. I have also felt the overwhelming peace and stillness that God can bring when I pray. So, whether the storm is raging outside or inside, remember that the clouds will eventually pull away to reveal the sun again.

Just a little afterthought:

            Another thing I like about storms is how well they go with music. If it’s a storm with lots of lightning or if I’m driving down the road in the rain, I have some songs I like to listen to. Here are some of my favorite storm songs:

            *Flood by Jars of Clay

            *Blue Skies by Point of Grace

            *Rain Song by Day of Fire

            *Light Up the Sky by The Afters

            *In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg

Ok, so that last one is just fun to listen to, but if you get a chance, you should look up the lyrics to the others if you haven’t heard them. They are very fitting for a stormy night.