Looking Beyond the Storm…to Experience Someone Greater than the Storm

​Hello everyone…and a very happy and blessed Friday to you all! I’m so glad to be with you today…and my prayer for all of us; is that God will continue to bless us with a hope that can carry us through these hard and difficult times of life…Amen!
Last night, as I was spending some quiet moments alone with God; He began to show me that sometimes we can experience a storm that can hit us so hard; that it can almost seem impossible for the damage to be repaired. Moments such as these can cause us to lose heart…to the place where we no longer imagine life getting better again.
Recently, we had a bad and unexpected snow storm…and due to the leaves being on the trees; limbs began to get heavy with wet snow…and from there, they began to crack and fall to the ground. At first, the mess from the storm began to overwhelm us a little and make us wonder, if we would ever get the yard back to where it once was.
After the snow finally melted; Keith was able to pile up the limbs and rake up all the leaves and debris that had accumulated in the yard. Once that work was finished; we began to see how the backyard could eventually get back to normal.
In a similar way…we too can experience unexpected storms within our lives that can attempt to weigh us down, while changing the way life used to be; but as we begin to see how God gradually cleans up the debris from these storms; we can take hold of a hope that says that life can become even better than before the storm first began.
Today I would like to share a couple of my favorite Bible verses with you from Isaiah 43:18-19, which has helped me so much in my life…and they read… “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19) See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
You know…I think we lose hope during the difficult times…because we tend to focus even more on the storms that enter our lives, rather than looking beyond them…to see how a powerful God can step in and repair the damage that came about through the storm. The Bible verses above state that we need to forget the former things and not dwell on them. I truly believe…through my own life experiences; that when we take our eyes away from what just happened, to look for what God is about to do; that is when we will begin to experience a glimpse of hope…and see how He can make all things new again.
Right now…with all that is taking place, due to the virus; life can seem so discouraging…and these moments can even make us feel as if life will never return back to its norm…but that is because we are caught up in the storm. Yes…we need to live with reality and deal with it…but not to the place where we let it bring us lower, than when this virus first hit us.
One thing I know from experience; is that God isn’t a god that leaves us in the rubble of despair; but instead, He longs so much to go after the desires of our hearts and help us; but if our desire at the time is to focus on what has or may happen; then we must realize that thoughts such as these, will only keep us from the help we need the most.
As we close this time together, may I encourage you to look beyond the storm…for even though times may change and these storms we face may attempt to take us down to nothing; God still remains the same powerful god that He has and will always be. Maybe your situation seems impossible within your own eyes right now; but I know a God, whose view of the storm is much different than ours…for He is not focusing on the storm itself; but rather, He is already seeing what is on the other side of the storm.
Have a very blessed day…and may God always give you the strength to look beyond the storm…to what God already has awaiting you! God bless!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane