“Then
the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble
there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over
all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the
heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and
rain.” Isaiah 4:5-6
Spring
is a time of new life and new beginnings. It is a time when winter snow
begins to thaw, flowers begin to bloom and all of nature seems to come
alive in the love of life. However, as many Americans know with
trepidation, it is also a time when warm moist heat clashes with cold
northern air creating powerful and sometimes violent storms.
Regardless
of where you may live, we’ve all experienced storms in our lives—storms
of nature, stormy relationships and storms of despair. The fact is that
storms will come and storms will go, but some things remain—faith, hope
and love.
“Now
we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to
face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully
known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.” 1Corinthians 13:12-13
When
we go through the storms of life we survive through faith in a merciful
and loving Father. When we experience trials and tribulations in this
world, we endure in the hope of salvation and eternal life. And when we
reach out to others in the midst of these times of testing, we give and
receive the love of our fellow man.
Recently
after an F4 tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, the local citizens held a
memorial service for the victims of the violent storm. The highlight of
the service was when a group of elementary school children sang that age
old song,
“Jesus loves me.” It was the same song they sang as the storm
passed over their school obliterating most everything in its path. To
say the least, there was not a dry eye in the house.
If
you’re in the midst of a storm in your life, know this. You can have
faith in the Lord God Almighty, hope in the life, death, resurrection
and return of his Son, Jesus and know without a doubt, you are loved.
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.” 1 John 4:16-17
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