One day about three years ago I was driving down the road and I saw the scene picturedhere.
At first I was simply struck by the beauty of the light (not captured well on my phone), but as I stopped to take it all in and grab a photo, God began speaking to me about everything I was seeing. He said,
"There may be a storm down the road but it is contained and surrounded by clarity. Seasons are changing and in the process there will be a harvest. Through it all there is Power.”
At the time, I was walking with my mom through her second cancer diagnosis and making major decisions about treatment. Facing massive surgery and various treatment scenarios, we knew we were looking at tough times ahead. As seasons were definitely changing, we were both so encouraged by the clarity, harvest, and Power around the storm. The word offered momentary comfort and encouragement, but I’m seeing today that it also reinforced an eternal perspective for me.
Looking back, I see the application of that word all over my circumstances since that time. With retrospect, my comfort is in knowing that when we walk by faith, we’re surrounded by clarity that only comes with a high view of God's sovereignty. So many questions and worries are avoided by simply choosing to trust that He is right and good. We can see that storms are contained by His protection and favor and that they are ultimately for the purpose of a harvest of salvation and Glory.
Trust is built through remembering His faithfulness. If we’re going to see His faithfulness, we’re going to have to walk through storms. As we learn to trust His higher ways, our faith will grow. And as our faith grows, we see His Power manifesting in increasingly greater ways in our lives. When we see him working, it becomes clear that we can face any storm with complete peace and assurance that a harvest (the ultimate goal) is surely coming. That eternal perspective gives us the audacity to believe and obey at any cost.