As we crowded in front of the TV listening to weather icon, Jim Cantore’s latest report on Hurricane Matthew, a song my three year old grandson sings in his Junior Jivers class came to mind.
“God makes the sunshine,
God makes the raindrops,
God’s in charge of the weather.
He can make it wet or dry,
He’s the Big Boss of the sky.
God makes the lightening,
God makes the thunder,
God’s in charge of the weather…
How cute is that—and how bizarre?
If God’s in charge of the weather, why does He allow the horror of a category 4 hurricane to sweep across half the planet wreaking havoc on His children? Good question…
We all struggle to understand the “why?” of life’s pain. When we feel powerless to control our lives, anger is often our response coupled with a desire to blame someone—God included.
But along with the natural “why cry” of my heart I’ve discovered another question—a better question to ask—“how?” How will I choose to respond to the people and events around me? Am I going to bounce, or break?
One of the ways I can best respond to the troubles of life is by choosing to stay connected to the love of God—even when I don’t feel it—knowing His grace and mercy flow through every circumstance of my life.
I don’t always know why God allows certain events to occur, but I can choose to trust Him—even in my deep discouragement—to see me through the trials and storms of life. He never promised me roses without thorns or life without trouble. What He did promise is that He will never leave me to fend for myself in the desert of despair. Nothing can ever separate me from His love.
“I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. Romans 8:38 The Message.” His love for us is fiercer than any hurricane!
Every room in the refuge of our South Carolina midland home is full. Our family from the coast has joined other family members visiting from the UK and together we watch and wait for what Hurricane Matthew will do to their home, their places of work, learning and the low country plantation where our granddaughter’s wedding has been planned for later this month.
We would never choose this experience.
But we can choose to trust God, who never wastes our pain, to use these awful circumstances for eventual good in our lives.
Here’s another song for you. Fierce – by Jesus Culture
I pray it will strengthen and encourage you as you watch and pray for what tomorrow holds – hurricanes or not.
And just FYI:
Junior Jivers is a UK music and movement style playgroup that introduces young children and their caregivers to Jesus. Children dance and sing in a circle with their parent, grandparent or nannie, read a Bible story together and then share morning tea. My daughter, Kimberley, leads the Junior Jivers program at her church in London.
