“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that
your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19
It rained today and I couldn’t help but take note of its
disruptive nature. The sidewalk darkened, the flowers bent low under the weight of
collecting waters. Earthy droplets sprang from the ground dancing in the showers. Just as quickly as the clouds came, they dried
their tears and hovered in quiet relief.
All was still. Nothing heard but
the drip drop reminder of sudden weeping.
In silence a light broke through. The sun displayed its
splendor and this tiny piece of sodden creation was refreshed.
Sunlight glistened in the face of a daisy and adorned the cheek of a
rose. The muck of the mundane was once again washed away by the
storm and revived beneath the sun.
In a
similar way, there is a storm that rises within the soul of each of us. It is graced with the Divine. In its
surge and fury it betrays our hidden places and lays bare our brokenness. As we lie there bending low in our sodden state, words escaping our
defenses, He kneels along side in the mud and the mire that purged from the recent torrent. A light shines forth warming our naked
soul. We are caressed by His love as the SON ushers in His splendor.
That
is the beauty of a storm. Intuitively I run away , hoping to ward
off it's disruption, but I am learning to appreciate its advances and lean into it. There are places within me that otherwise
remain unacknowledged, untouched and unhealed were it not for a storm or two
to pry the unseen to the surface. Once
the storm has done its work I bring my heart’s turned up
soil into the fellowship of the Trinity - where God sits for the awaited visit. Jealousy, anger, hurt, fear and disappointments are all there to be seen by Him. Somewhere in my kneeling, Jesus comes and
changes me. The Holy Spirit bears witness in hovering presence, and I am again revived, resting beneath the shadow of His Spirit and
beside the risen Son.
Prayer: Oh
Lord, help me embrace the storms. Holy
Spirit rain down. Search me, Oh God and
know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along
the path of everlasting life.
