His
way is in the whirlwind and storm,
and
the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3b
When in the middle of a major life storm,
many of us tend to sequester ourselves. Maybe we think if we do not have to
face people, talk about the problem, or answer questions of concern that the
problem will go away.
Sometimes in the midst of our grief, we
forget the grief of our Heavenly Father as He turned His back on sin while
Jesus hung on the cross.
Sometimes we forget that our grief is
multiplied thousands of times around the world by hundreds of thousands of
people who also grieve.
Sometimes we become so wrapped up in our
grief that we fail to remember the One whose extended hand waits for us to
grasp hold and be lifted out of the pit of despair.
But our God waits patiently as we work our
way through anger and fear and that feeling of helplessness. He waits as we
struggle to remember to whom we belong. He waits as we travel from no, to help
and finally to the place where we fall on our knees, nose to the floor and
worship.
Even as I write, I am thinking of several
friends in the midst of grief over the loss of a loved one or an unexpected
life-threatening illness or an illness so prolonged that a broken heart seems a
continual collaborator—each in the midst of a storm.
But there is hope, encouragement, laughter
and joy even in the middle of heartache and grief. We find that hope in two words.
But God! When we remember our God, when
we listen for His voice, and yes when we fall down and worship at His feet and “dwell
in the shelter of the Most High” and “abide in the shadow of the Almighty”, He
becomes our refuge and our fortress in the midst of the storm.
So if you find yourself in a place where
you see the storm clouds gathering, remind yourself that the clouds are as dust
under His feet. Allow God to be your refuge and stronghold. Yes, even in the
midst of the storm, especially in the midst of the storm—worship God!
©JP
2013
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