We are currecntly enjoying the warm, seemingly endless days of summer. Families are swimming in the lake and some neighbors had amazing fireworks for 4th of July. However, this season is not all sunshine and beauty. It is also known for severe storms that bring lightning, thunder, heavy rainfall and in many cases hail. We had our share of some of these already and it was pretty intense. The thunderstorms and lightnings are very loud and very scary. In Rogers and Bentonville, half hour south of here, they had a tornedo and it knocked down trees and destroyed some businesses as well as some homes and cars where the trees fell. We got spared, but you never know. Unfortunately, some things we have no control over. The good thing is that when some of these things pop up, it is wonderful to be able to run into a dry, comfortable shelter and be protected, until the sun begins to shine again. Here in Bella Vista, I don't know about the rest of the state, when the rain stops the sun comes out fairly quickly and everything gets dry fast enough where you couldn't even imagine that 30 minutes earlier everything was wet and gloomy. I am grateful for that.
Life is like that too. All is well until, suddenly and often without any warning, difficulties arise. Our lives are full of "storms" of one kind or another. Regardless of what caused them, there is seldom much we can do to stop them from running their course (Recently, both my husband and I had some health issues that were unexpected) and all we can control is how we respond to them and how we move forward.
Rather than facing these troubles alone, we turn to God in prayer and ask friends and family to keep us in their prayers as well. It is comforting to know others are praying to our Heavenly Father in our behalf. Prayer works. I have experienced it's power many times in my life! God does love us, cares for us and hears our prayers. I believe that He feels our pain. He wants us to rely on Him in our time of distress, and have a relationship with Him as we would have with our loved ones here on earth.
Some of us are closer to family than others, some of us who are older, have no parents or siblings around anymore, but knowing that we have our heavenly Father who promises to never leave us nor forsake us is very comforting. Maybe we don't see it but if you spend time with God in prayer and meditation you will feel Him near. Like any earthly relationship, the more we spend time with a person, the closer we are to them, so why would it be any different with God? Ask yourself how distant or close you think God is? Spend some time in prayer this week. Maybe He will reveal some things to you. Everyday is truly a miracle and everyday is a new beginning with new revelations.
1 Peter 5:6-7
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He will lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you"
1 John 3:1
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God"
Revelation 3:20
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me"
God is real, but because we don't see Him, and don't spend enough time with Him, He feels very distant or non-existent. The storms of nature or the storms of life may feel very distant too, until we experience them personally. Snow was non-existend in Southern California where we lived, but I experienced snow in Sweden, and lots of it, when I lived there. So, just because we don't see or experience certain things, it doesn't mean that they don't exist. Today we can all find safety and refuge under the wings of our living God, no matter what our storms are.
Have a great Month!
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