But We Need the Rain

Patty hesaidwhatks

June 4

It sure has been stormy over a large part of the country this spring. We have had our share of strong storms here in Kansas as well. After several years of drought, the comment I hear over and over after another storm…and have many times said myself…is, "But we need the rain!"

Storms certainly can be beneficial, and beautiful, too.

But they can be hard as well, and scary.

I woke up this morning to another storm passing through. But I also had the thought of life's storms on my mind. That's because Aaron had five hard seizures during the night. I finally had to give him a rescue med. These times with Aaron leave me in an emotional frame of mind, vulnerable in my spirit. It's important that I corral my thoughts and there is no better way to do that than to spend time with the Lord.

I opened my old devotional book, Streams in the Desert, to today's date. The scripture today was from Mark 4. It's the story of Jesus getting in the boat with His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. The first sentence on the page was this:

"Even when we go forth at Christ's command, we need not expect to escape storms…"

The storm outside my window matched the storm in my heart, and so God had a special storm story for me. I love His love for me! I love how He gives to me exactly what I need, exactly when I need it.

Jesus knew that His disciples would encounter a strong storm out on the lake. After all, He created the storm! The disciples, terrified, cried out to Jesus as the storm tossed the boat. Jesus, asleep, was awakened by their frantic voices asking Him if He didn't even care that they were perishing.

Jesus calmed the storm and then gently rebuked them.

"Why are you afraid?" he asked them. "Do you still have no faith?"

Jesus put His followers in a place of testing. In their storm, He showed His power and in so doing, He used it to increase their faith.

I have learned, especially in our life with Aaron, that God has put me in a boat and said, "Let's go over to the other side."

But getting there involves hard times. I don't like the storms, but how they increase my faith and my love for Him!

Just like realizing how much we need the rain that our storms have brought, so I realize that the sufferings of my life bring me what God knows I need.

And this lesson is huge: God hasn't commanded me to understand. He HAS commanded me to trust.

If I had all the answers as to the why's of suffering, I would have no need to trust. In learning to trust, my walk with God is sweeter and deeper than I would ever have known otherwise.

"We never know how much real faith we have until it is put to the test in some fierce storm; and that is the reason why the Savior is on board." (Streams in the Desert)

God in His kindness ended this day with a gorgeous sky, a perfect picture of the beauty of knowing and trusting Him.