As I sit here, the sky is gray, and rain is on the way. I love to sit on my porch and listen to the rain as it patters down above me. As a child, though, I feared any type of rain or dark clouds – so much so that I would run to the basement at the first sound of rain or the sense of any shift in the weather. Scientists define this as astraphobia, an “intense fear of thunder and lightning”.
One day, when I was around 10 years old, I remember a huge gust of wind blowing around our house. My sisters and brother, who were teenagers at the time, were so excited that one ran to the back door and flung it open while the other ran to the front door and flung it open wide. You can only imagine the wind tunnel it created! While they were laughing and enjoying the impending doom, I began to panic and feared that the wind would blow down our house like the straw house in the Big Bad Wolf.
I can’t recall how long I stayed down there but when I eventually came up the stairs, it was eerily quiet. I knew all was not the same when I looked out our front door bay window where a large oak tree once stood, now splintered, and strung across the front yard. Several other trees were knocked down and a large tree fell on a car in our driveway. We were fine, though – praise the Lord!
Looking back, God showed up when I was hiding in our basement. I remember reciting Psalm 23, repeating “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” repeatedly. (I was raised Southern Baptist and KJV was the only way for me!) What I didn’t realize, at the time, though, the power in those words – all I knew is that it gave me comfort like nothing in this world had ever done or could ever do. Even though I thought I would fly over the rainbow just as Dorothy did during a tornado, God kept me, and my family grounded.
Fast forward 35 plus years and here I sit anticipating with joy and thanksgiving the impending storm. What is different? The only answer is God and His unending comfort that He can only provide. Nothing else will satisfy. After years of self-reflection and seeking God’s face, I realized that my irrational fears were based on lack of control.
An anxious child, I spent most of my days worrying over all kinds of things – you name it, I worried about it. Because I couldn’t control the narrative or the outcome, I would panic and try to create a way to escape from the uncomfortableness of not knowing. However, God tells us to “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7)
My prayer for you today is to embrace the rain and storms in your life knowing that that Christ Jesus will see you through it. Your surroundings may not look the same after the storm, but He will protect you. To quote one of my all-time favorite artists, Phil Collins, “Just let it rain down, just let it rain down, let it rain down. Just let it rain”!
Love, Tina
Deep Dive Questions
- What are some storms in your life right now?
- How can you express a posture of gratitude during these storms?
- Find a bible verse that speaks to your storm and commit it to memory so that you have a weapon to keep you safe during your next storm.
