We live in the Pacific Northwest, and last night, the weather was so intense that it woke me up.
Every night I go to sleep to the sound of rain. Not because its raining, but because I have a wave machine thing that puts out different sounds, one of which is the sound of rain. I love that sound. It helps me fall asleep, but last night, at about 1 am, as I was laying there, it sounded like my little rain machine was having problems. I turned down the volume to see if it had shorted out or something, but that wasn't it. The sound I had heard was the pounding rain and wind at my house.
I couldn't stay in bed. I got up and went and stood at our front window to see what was going on outside. It was quite the show. There were buckets of rain falling from the sky, wind that appeared as though it were a hurricane, and lightening that struck right near our house. Crack boom bang. We were in a storm last night of biblical proportions.
You may not know this about my personality, but at times, I'm known to give in to irrational thoughts of doom. Its been that way since I was a child. My mom tells stories about me getting up at night asking about killer bees. When Crystal and I were on a cruise one time, I started thinking about the movie Titanic as I was laying in bed and I couldn't fall asleep that night.
Listen, I know its dumb. Welcome to my world. I'm sure glad you're so normal.
Well last night, as I was laying in bed listening to the wind and rain, I began to think about a tree falling on our house. We are surrounded by big tall trees- like 70 footers. As I lay in bed I pictured what it would be like to have a huge tree fall on our house in the middle of the night. It kept me from falling asleep. I couldn't shake it out of my head.
I realize that this wasn't grounded in reality. It was irrational. I get that.
But here's what happened- last night, laying in bed I became fully aware of the presence of God. His protection. His provision. His staying power. I focused on Him, His love for me and my family, and His omnipotence and do you know what happened? I feel asleep. Almost instantly in fact.
Here's the deal- I'll make a broad assumption that everyone deals with some sort of uncertainty in their life, and that sometimes it is not dealt with well. We give into emotional despair, fear and loathing and don't allow ourselves to be comforted by the presence of God. We forget the good and focus on the bad.
God wants to be with you in the midst of your storms. Literally and figuratively. Often when we are in the storms of life we focus on the circumstance of the storm, give into fear, and allow ourselves to be consumed with fear and doubt of God's protection and provision.
Isaiah 26:3- You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Rest on that in your storm. Keep your mind steadfast on the Lord and His ability to provide and protect in your storm. He loves you and wants the best for your life. Focus on Him in your storm and see what it does for your situation. The situation may not change, but the way you deal with it will.
Be blessed
pastor matt
It is so overwhelming to have the internet in this digital age to share our thoughts. Nevertheless, it is as much as overwhelming that we can make great commission from it.
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