I went to bed late last night, or rather early this morning, after receiving numerous warnings about today’s impending storm. First, there were the texts from our Bible Study group that meets tonight telling us that they were watching the storm and would probably have to cancel the meeting. Then, there were the weather alerts, including this one.

Our schools in our district are closed since the time for dismissal would be when the storm might hit. On the map, we are south of Williamsburg, somewhere between the orange and the red zones.

You know, it’s good to have warnings that storms are coming so you can get prepared. I think my husband and I are as prepared as we can get. We live in a modular home, so it’s not a particularly safe structure, but it is not our home that we depend on to keep us safe. God will watch over us or bring us home to be with Him. Am I anxious? Well, yes, some. But at the back of my mind is the faith that I have leaned on for over 54 years now. God is always God, no matter what storms do.

Storms in our lives come and go. They are not always high winds, hail, thunder snow or even possible tornadoes. Sometimes, the storms come with advance notice. A loved one has an incurable disease and is going to die sooner rather than later. Financial problems arise when cars break down, houses need repairs and prices continue to rise. Unemployment is affecting the livelihood of someone in your life and you want to help but don’t have the means to do so. Your own health is not what you wish it was, and you are concerned about your ability to take care of yourself in the future. The list of possible storms is impossible it enumerate, isn’t it? Many storms come to suddenly and without any warning. Are they to be more feared or is God ready to carry us through them? It is a strong relationship with God that takes us through the storms we know about in advance as well as the surprise ones. Just think of some storms that you have weathered lately or are weathering now. What’s the answer? What do we do when the storms of life toss us around and there seems to be no end? Where do you go to take shelter?

We go to the One who spoke to the storm and told it to “Be still.” Whatever storm is raging within us or around us is subject to the Lord of the storm. The One who is the Lord of our lives is also the master of the winds, the water and the hail. He speaks to our hearts and tells us to “Be still.” He wants us to trust that He has us in the palm of His hand and as I have said before on previous posts: Nothing will happen to me today that God and I cannot handle together. Do you believe that? Do you know in your heart, mind and soul that God is in control? Storms come because that is what storms do. But they also go and leave us with a sense of our humanity and gratitude for God who knows and meets our needs, even in the midst of the storm.

So, even as I sit typing this post and waiting for the storm that the weather forecasts say is coming, I am hearing Jesus speak to my heart to have peace, to be still and to know without doubting that He is Lord. Not just of this storm outside, but of all of the storms in my life that rage and try to toss me around and to take my eyes off the Lord. God is and always will be the Lord of my life.

I pray that you may have the peace that comes from knowing that truth that God is your Lord, down into the depths of your soul and in so knowing you will trust God to calm the storms in your life and to bring you safely to the eternal harbor of your soul. May your day be blessed with the assurance of God’s love and protection.