Thunderstorms

I read Psalm 37 this morning. I must confess it was with a rather groggy mind. I was up later than usual last night, and then rather loud and continuous thunderstorms hit us around 3:30 this morning and have been going pretty faithfully, with only shot breaks, in the two and a half hours since then. I’m just plain sleepy!

Despite the sleepiness, as I was reading and listening to the storm, a mental picture came to mind.

My little Steven has always been very overwhelmed by loud noises. Thunderstorms are not fun for him. He has matured so much for a four-year-old – he no longer screams out in terror. But, it’s still rough for him. This morning when I went to check on him, he had surrounded himself with a fortress of pillows, stuffies, and blankets and was burrowed beneath them. But, after I snuggled with him for a few minutes, he bravely told me that it was okay for me to leave him. He trusted that what I said was true and that, loud though it may be, it wasn’t going to hurt him. Just disrupt his sleep a little bit.

I can see God reminding us of the same thing in Psalm 37. It’s going to get a little loud. It’s going to seem terrifying. It’s going to feel like that thunder of life will get us, even in our beds. But, we’re safe. We might even trip and fall in the storm and find ourselves with bruises or skinned knees, especially if it knocks out the power and we just can’t see. But, He’s going to keep a tight hold on us the whole time, and no permanent injury will befall us.

I am challenged to see the storms of this life more like a loud, but harmless, thunderstorm.  In the scheme of eternity and the salvation of my soul, even the worst of earthly suffering is just a bruise or skinned knee compared to an eternity of perfection with God. Oh that I may learn to receive His whispered assurances in the middle of each of my thunderstorms!