Stormy day at Harriot Hollister Spencer State Park, New York
I wrote last week about turning our faces to the storm – facing it so we can see what is coming, fight the required battle faithfully, and not turn our back on the place God has called us to go. Turning our faces to the storm instead of turning tail is the way to see the breakthrough. It’s the way to see the promises of God. To quote others, it’s also the place where God becomes real.
Hiking up into Mono Pass, Inyo National Forest, California
We’re not called to dive headfirst into every battle. There are dozens of potential-battle situations that I see on social media every day. I engage nearly none of them. They’re not my battles to fight, and most of the time, they don’t even matter. God calls us to meet some battles head-on, and we need to be willing to fight the battles He leads us into.
Mt. Hood in the clouds from Owl Point, Oregon
When we’re in a storm, face pelted with ice pellets, the wind threatening to blow us a little closer to the cliff edge than we really want, we know we’re not alone. God is with us. Because God is with us, we don’t have to be afraid of the storm or what it brings.
Approaching storm near Pyramid Peak, Flat Tops Wilderness, Colorado
As children of God, we get to rest in our storms – not lay down per se, but rest in Who God is, rest in what He has done and what He will do, rest in His promises and His word. As the psalmist said, “You make me lie down in green pastures; you lead me beside still waters… you prepare [a feast] before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:2, 5a). David was a fighter, a military man (1 Chronicles 28:3), but he understood God’s ability to lead him in rest.
Storm clouds over the High Sierras from Duck Pass, Inyo National Forest, California
Rest isn’t necessarily inactivity. I knew a woman years ago who loved making quilts. In the evening, her husband would say, “Honey, why don’t you put that quilt down and relax?” Her reply was, “Darling, this is restful.” It was different than the day-to-day chores and it was the same motion over and over – needle in, needle out – and she found that far more relaxing than sitting still.
The skies preparing to thunder while we hike down Chapin Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
In the same way, resting in the storm isn’t necessarily inactivity. We still get to be joyful, we still get to love. We still are pressing into God, keeping our eyes on Him and believing all the things He has said and all that He is. There may be times of intensity that don’t feel much like rest, but God is with us through those times to bring us through – so even in the intensity there is hope.
