The colorful leaves dance with brilliance amidst the palette of beautiful fall hues, and the smell of cinnamon pumpkin fills our homes through candles, plug-ins, and favorite desserts.  Whether you love fall, or are already wishing for the warm sunshine and the taste of the salty waves, the change of seasons is well on its way.  When we speak of seasons, we have a forecaster that warns us of any sudden changes that are on the horizon, but life isn’t as predictable.  Seasons of life do not come in a pattern or with a forecaster, however they do come with storms.  Thick fog can set in paralyzing you from everyday life, and the rain and the wind can seem to beat down so strong that you wonder if life will ever calm down.  So whether it’s just started to drizzle or if you are in a full-fledged tsunami, how are you going to make it?  Here are a few comforting thoughts and scriptures that have helped me get through the days that seem to be unbearable:

• The fear that we feel in stormy times is not from God.  “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  II Timothy 1:7  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid.”  Psalm 27:1  “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.  In God I will praise his word, in God have I put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”  Psalm 56:3-4
• There is a purpose for the storm, rather than fight it, embrace it, and look for ways to give God glory.  “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28 
• Allow God to carry you through the storm.  Get close to Him.  Trust Him.  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”  Psalm 91:1-2  “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”  Psalm 18:30  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6
• Be willing to learn through the storm.  “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.  The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.  Psalm 119:71-72
• Know that the storm will pass.  Maybe not WHEN or HOW we think it should, but eventually the sunshine will break through.  “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14  “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5  “My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”  Psalm 42:3/43:5  

When the storms of life seem to shake you to the core of who you are, and everything you find comforting or comfortable is stripped away, God will be there to hold you, lift you up and make himself known in a deeper way than you’ve ever experienced.  While suffering and difficult times are never desired or wished for, these trials have a way of making us who we are.  It’s our choice if we take the opportunity to get to know God better or run hard in the other direction.  I find comfort in seasons of storms, for God has carried me through time and time again.  Take a look back at your most difficult times.  If you are still breathing, God let you make it.  The waves might look higher, the fog much thicker, and the rain too heavy to stay standing, but that’s when I feel God’s presence more powerful than ever.  It’s in my darkest days that I have experienced God’s presence and peace most powerful.  If you find yourself sinking beneath the waves, don’t drown.  Let God lift you up and carry you through the storm.

“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.  

I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.”  Psalm 3:3-4

Let God hear from you!  It’s ok to cry.  My best cries are when I cry out to him.

Thanking God for the storms,

Micah