After The Storm

​What a difference a day can make!

​As I am writing here in Tulsa the sky is azure blue and cloudless. The sun is shining brightly. New grass and vegetation carpet the landscape. Spring flowers are blooming. Bright red cardinals are singing their melodic song. Frisky squirrels are feasting on acorns. The temperature will be a perfect 72 degrees today! Picturesque day in Oklahoma!
But for the previous four days (April 25-28) the heavens were dark, dismal and dangerous in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. Severe weather paid an unwelcome visit to our neighborhoods.
Thunderstorm Warnings. Tornado Watches. Tornado Warnings. Flash Flood Warnings.
Local and national meteorologists logged overtime hours warning of the potentially life-threatening storms descending upon us from on high.
Massive, daunting, scary storms. Howling winds. One system after another after another inundated our city with record rainfall. Sheets of rain spawned flash flooding. Booming thunder and streaking lightning lit up the sky, interrupting sleep. Tornadoes lurked within the massive wall clouds rumbling over the plains. Animals hid in their hidey holes. Tulsans and Oklahomans took shelter and cover in their homes while the storms did their thing.
Sadly, lives were lost. People were injured. Property damage was inestimable. Thousands of people were displaced. Within a few short moments, the storm victim’s future changed in dramatic fashion. Folks are holding on to the rope of hope that there will be a better day as they begin to rebuild what was destroyed.
Thankfully, the wicked weather has passed. How different today is from yesterday.

• After a natural storm, we regroup. Venture outside. Assess damage. Clean up debris. Return to our “normal” lives. Then we reflect on the storms. Thinking about how we will prepare for the next one that rumbles over the rolling plains of the Midwest.

Storms.
In Mark 4: 35-41, Jesus and His disciples were caught in a sudden, dangerous storm on the Sea of Galilee.
“And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace (hush) be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” Mark 4: 38-39
Their boat was quickly filling up with water. Sinking looked like a real possibility. Peter thought they were going to perish. While Peter panicked, Jesus slept peacefully in the back of the boat.
Waves tossing the boat around rocked the Lord to sleep. Peter woke Jesus up, expressing his concern that they might perish. The Lord took command of the situation. He got up, rebuked the wind and sea with a “peace be still”….and the crisis ended. The wind died down, the sea was completely calm, and the disciples were amazed. “Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Jesus not only rebuked the wind and sea. He rebuked the disciples with “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” I believe Jesus expected Peter to rebuke the storm while the Master enjoyed His nap!

• I am also convinced Peter and the disciples were different men after the storm.

Who wouldn’t be having witnessed Jesus wake up from taking a few “ZZ’s” to calm the threatening waves with His word? During and after the storm, Jesus’ followers learned something about faith. How to trust in the Father when storms swirl around us. I am sure they also thought about not panicking again when storms blew into their lives!
Smack dab in the middle of a life-threatening storm, Jesus declared “Peace be still.” What do you think about His faith? How about your faith? Would you panic like Peter because of the waves or trust in the Father like Jesus did?
The point of the scenario on the Sea of Galilee: FAITH. Trust in God during a storm.

• Life’s spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, health and financial storms, like natural ones, come and go. Life storms have a life span.
• THEY TEST OUR FAITH IN JESUS! How you and I respond to them is a mark of our maturity in the Lord.

I believe that once a life storm has passed, there are numerous things we can reflect on regarding the storm.
Reflections After Life’s Storms

• We can give God praise and thanks for protecting and caring for us during the storm.
• We can learn life lessons from the storm. Especially lessons about faith.
• We can glean and gain wisdom from God.
• We can put our faith in Him to meet our every need as we rise above storms.
•  We can prepare ourselves for the next storm that will inevitably blow our way.
• We can share with others how we passed through the storm successfully.
• We can rejoice that storms do not last forever. Storm-less days do return!

Rubber meets the road. When storm clouds hover over your life, what will your Christian profession look and sound like? Will faith in God carry you through? How will your behavior in Christ mature through and after the storm? Will others watch you pass through life’s storms victoriously in Christ?
AFTER THE STORM is a comforting place to be when we know that we managed the storm well with faith in Jesus Christ.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
A Word For Your Week: Our attitude during and after a life storm is a predictor of how you and I will manage the next one.