Praise in the Midst of Storms

The song, Praise You in This Storm, by Casting Crowns, always chokes me up…

“I was sure by now
that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day,
but once again,
I say “Amen”,
and it’s still raining…â€

Not too long ago, I wrote a devotion about control and how awesome it is to surrender control to God.

But what if you do that and it feels like nothing gets better? What if, like it says in the song, it’s “still rainingâ?

There have been times I’ve witnessed people going through extreme hardship or tragedy and I’ve thought to myself, “if I was going through that, would I still trust God as much as I do now?†And I have to admit, sometimes I’ve been unsure of the answer.

But then I think of the man at our church who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and said, “I can choose to be angry at God, or I can love Him and show my kids how to die with dignity.†He did the latter. And I think of his wife, who spoke after his death and said her faith was stronger than ever. Through her loss and pain, and in the middle of her terrible storm, she praised God and expressed deep thanks for the hope of Heaven and His loving hand in her life and in the lives of her kids. She said she wouldn’t know what to do without God’s love.

And thinking of that family reminds me that, even though life will bring troubles, God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. He can carry us through those troubles if we let him.

If we put our faith in something that falters, it doesn’t do us much good when times get tough. But putting our faith in God can make all the difference in the world. Because He never falters. And even when we don’t get the answers that we want, or the quick-fixes that we hope for, He is a rock that we can count on in good times and bad. He…

“gives strength to the weary and increases power to the weak.†Isaiah 40:29

And, like the lyrics of Casting Crown’s song say, he never, ever leaves our side…

“I’ll praise You in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am.
Every tear I’ve cried
you hold in Your hand
you never left my side,
and though my heart is torn,
I will praise You in this storm.â€