Lightning and Thunder

James 1:2-4

To My Dearest Lord Jesus,

As I look outside I see storm clouds rolling in.  The wind has picked up and the temperature has dropped.  Before long it is going to rain.  Is it going to be a light rain or is it going to be a storm?  A storm that brings destruction, a storm that causes pain, a storm that I will remember for a lifetime?

Over and over again in my life I have felt the storm clouds roll in.  Slowly but surely, one thing after another begins to go wrong.  Someone is sick, the bills aren't getting paid, our job isn't going well, our family isn't getting along.  All of it builds up and I end up feeling like I'm in a raging war.  I call out to You, Lord.  I pray and pray and I feel Your comfort, but it only lasts for a little while because I again lose sight of You.  I start remembering just how bad the storm is.  I worry.  I lose sleep.  I get cranky and agitated toward my loved ones.  I feel like I'm trying to keep myself from being blown away in the wind.  Trying to simply survive.  Why are there days like this?  Why can't every day be easy?  Why can't every day be sunny with the birds chirping, kids playing outside, a cool breeze on my face?  Why do there have to be days like this?  The pain, the struggles.  And when will it end?

I know, Lord, that rain is a part of life.  The rain allows for things that were once small and weak to become big and strong.  It allows for things that were beginning to wilt to become like new again.  But if the rain is so good, Lord, then why do I get scared when I know a storm is coming?  What makes me focus on the lightning and thunder and not the beautiful growth that comes after the storm? 

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:31

Eagles are amazing creatures and there is a lot that we can learn from them.  Maybe that is why You mention them so many times in the Bible.  One of the many things we can learn from eagles is how to face a storm for eagles are not scared of storms.  They know exactly how to handle a storm each time one arrives.  They don't try to fly away from the storm.  They don't try to hide.  Eagles fly directly into the storm.  They fly into the storm and allow the pressure and wind from the storm to carry them which gives them a chance to rest their wings.

We should be the same way, Lord.  We should face our trials head on and allow You to carry us through.  We should not fear the storms.  We should simply allow You to do Your work and look forward to the new self that we will receive when the storm is over.

I can look back on my life and see where the storms have come.  I can remember the tears and the several times that I cried out to You, Lord.  I can remember those hard times, but I also, still to this day, can feel the strength that I gained from that experience.  I still carry the faith that I learned from dealing with that trial.  And I can see several times where I have handled situations differently because through past trials I have learned lessons that make me better at handling trials now that I am older.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:2-4

I am frustrated in myself, Lord, for always believing that every problem is the end of the world.  I act like there is no solution, no way out.  I act with no faith.  Why do I doubt You?  I should know that everything is going to be okay because never have You steered me wrong.  Never have You left me alone, and never have You given up on me. 

Lord, please help me to face my trials with joy like You say to do in James.  Help me to allow You to mold and make me to where I am lacking nothing, even if that means having to face storms to get there.  It is much easier said than done when it comes to dealing with the storms in my life, but I have faith knowing that no matter what pain I will bear I will not have to bear it alone.  You are my strength.  You are my reason for living and You are what gets me through each storm.  I pray that as the storms come I am focused on You instead of the lightning and thunder.  I pray that I never lose sight of You and I pray that I handle the storm with faith.  I pray that I make You proud, and I pray that I enjoy the perseverance that I gain from having faced the storm.  I love You, Lord.  In Jesus name, Amen.