Why do there have to be storms? Why do we go through the fire? Have you ever asked these questions?
Sunday while driving to church, it echoed through my heart, almost as if I could hear someone desperately crying out to God, “Why is this happening? Why does there have to be a storm?”
The pat answer is that we live in a fallen world. This isn’t heaven, and bad things happen.
But the real answer is, “I don’t know.”
Encouraging, right?
I don’t know why we have to go through storms. I don’t know why we have to walk through the fire. Jesus said, “In this life you will be plagued by times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world.” (John 16:33)
He tells us we’ll have storms but He never addresses WHY we have them.
We may not understand why, but there are a few things we do know.
If the disciples hadn’t gone through a storm, we would never know that He could calm them. If there had never been a storm, we wouldn’t know that He can walk on water.
If there had never been a fiery furnace, we wouldn’t know He could be with us in it. Protecting us. Keeping us safe from harm in the midst of it.
Storms come in all shapes and sizes, and our challenges may all look different, but our victory through the God who never fails us is the same.
If we find ourselves in the midst of a hellish situation, we have a decision to make. We can either let it pull us away from God, questioning His goodness and doubting His love.
OR
We can let it drive us deeper into the heart of God who is our shelter, our hiding place where the enemy can’t reach us. Where we’re protected until the storm passes over.
Psalm 91 always brings me such peace in a storm, especially verses 1 and 8 in the amplified Bible.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]… Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.
Knowing there is no foe that can withstand His power and we are inaccessible in the secret place, hidden in Him, brings such peace.
How do we stay hidden in Him? By keeping our minds fixed on who He is and what He does. By keeping our spirit, soul and body buried in His Words, holding them more dear than anything else.
When I lived in Oklahoma and we had tornado warnings, I always wanted come out of my hiding place and watch. I wanted to see the funnel cloud. I wanted to see what was going on with my own eyes. But that wasn’t a safe place to be, so I stayed hidden until it passed.
Although it can be mesmerizing to watch the storm, we need to stay hidden in the heart of God and the Word of God. It’s the only safe place to stand to come through unscathed.
I don’t know why we have to go through storms, but this I know: He will carry us to victory and there can be peace. All we have to do is hold on to Him.
Whether He calms the storm or calms our hearts through the storm, the end result is still the same. The storm will pass, and we will be okay. We’ll be more than okay because He will never fail us.
