"You Can't Stop the Rain"

We had a big storm come through the area last night. Just as we were about to get the boys ready for bed, the sky darkened and the winds picked up. Tyler opened the window near our front porch so the boys could watch as the rain started to fall.

I was in the kitchen doing some last minute cleanup after supper and Ezra comes running in the room.

"Mama, Mama the rain is coming! We have to stop it!"

"Honey, we can't stop the rain," I replied as he's running back to the window to watch. 

That simple, 3 sentence exchange with my 2 year old son got me thinking. We really cannot stop the rain. Ever. Nothing we do will ever stop the storms from coming. But we can be prepared for the rains. We can be safe from the winds. We can seek shelter when the storms blow in. 

How true is this even when the storms of life arise, whether little or big; when bills are piled high and the bank account is low, or when sickness hits and our strength wares thin, or when children act up and our patience is little.

Life can feel so overwhelming at times, but God has promised to be our shelter in the storm. While we can't stop the rains of life from falling, we can seek the protective outstretched arms of our Father who is sovereign over all. 

When I see that a heavy storm with possible damaging winds, hail, and even tornadoes has been forecast I go throughout our home and gather my boys' backpacks and our diaper bag and fill them with extra clothes, shoes, diapers, and sometimes even snacks and water. I want to be prepared if we have to spend a night in the basement or worse, we come through the storm without a roof over heads and our belongings scattered through the neighborhood. While I trust that God will protect us, I know He has given me the knowledge that I have to be prepared for the storm. I know my husband sometimes thinks I go overboard and "worry too much", but I'd so much rather be prepared than be caught standing among storm damage in my bare feet. 

In the same way, we can be prepared for the heavy rains of life by spending daily time in the Word of God. We can have the truth of God's promises buried deep within our hearts so that when the wind knocks the roof off our life, we are confident of God's protection and love. And as my husband some days gives me a look of amusement as I'm rushing about the house to fill our children's' bags, so might those who don't know the love of God look at us as we spend time learning and reading the Word's of Truth. 

One of my favorite Bible passages is Habakkuk 3:17-19. 

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, 

nor fruit be on the vines, 

the produce of the olive fail 

and the fields yield no food, 

the flock be cut off from the fold 

and there be no herd in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord; 

I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 

God, the Lord, is my strength; 

he makes my feet like the deer's; 

he makes me tread on my high places."

This passage speaks about hard times...desperate times. It talks about having no harvest, no food, nothing. Even so, Habakkuk is determined to stand in the promises of God. He's set in the truth that God is sovereign. He's determined to be joyful amidst the despair. Habakkuk was ready for the storm because he rested in the strength and truth of God. 

While we can't stop the rains from coming, we be confident in the One who created us. We can rest in the promise that He will be with us in the winds.