Live in the Storms of Life, trusting God

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Excitement in the air

There was an excitement in the air this week, you could feel it.

Everywhere I went, people were talking about this snowstorm.

My friends were excited.

My kids were excited.

I was excited!

Something Magical

There’s something magical about a snowstorm.

Look: Think about the color of snow for a moment.

There’s something about whiteness that pleases our eyes – snow is beautiful.

Sound: Think about the way it sounds when it snows.

Things sound different when snow is falling – It sounds softer and quieter outside.

Feel: It feels different when a snowstorm is on top of you!

The world doesn’t feel so big.

there’s a closeness, cozy feeling when clouds are on top of you and the snow is underneath you.

Interruption: Snowstorms have a way of interrupting our lives.

Schedules must change.

Things must be canceled.

Attention: Snowstorms have a way of getting our attention.

The headline on Weather.com said this: “Massive Winter Storm Will Spread Snow and Ice From Texas To Northeast To Affect Over 230 Million.”

It’s incredible to think that 230 million people are affected by the same thing, at the same time, and are thinking about the same thing at the same time.

Transition

As we’re all thinking about and experiencing this snowstorm, I want to point out a few things that we can take away from it.

Psalm 147:15-18 says,

15 He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.

There are times when I get too caught up in the world and forget what’s beyond it.

For instance, when I think about the weather, I think about things like: high- and low-pressure systems, temperatures, precipitation, storm models and storm tracks because that’s what I hear on the news.

I get caught up in the world and forget that beyond all of this, there is a God who spoke and commanded this massive storm.

When I think about this massive storm affecting 230 million people, and how insignificant I am compared to this storm, and then I go beyond the storm to the one who spoke and commanded this storm, I’m struck by the truth that God is in Charge.

God is in charge.

That truth can hit us differently.

For some of you, that’s a terrifying truth.

Someday I will be held responsible for everything.

There’s no person alive that can say, “I never heard your word” because God’s word runs swiftly throughout the whole earth.

For some of you, it’s a frustrating truth.

Because you want to be the master of your own life.

You’re the master everywhere else. You call the shots at work and at home. Someone recently pointed out to me that we live in a service-based economy in Lancaster county which means lot of people in Lancaster County are self-employed which means they are their own bosses. They are their own masters which makes it hard to accept the leadership of others, even God.

For some of you, it’s a comforting truth.

God is in charge.

There’s no place that is hidden from him.

16 He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?

A Blanket That Slows

This snowstorm has laid a blanket that stretches from southern Texas past New Brunswick Canada which is more than 2,500 miles!

That blanket has slowed down the entire country.

The Fine Line Between A Positive Character Trait and a Negative Character Trait

One of our virtues is that we’re driven, we work hard, we don’t stop.

One of our problems is that we’re too driven, we work too much, and we don’t stop.

We’re like toddlers who will play and play and play until they fall over and pass out.

That’s why parents must intervene in the life of their toddler to say, “Okay, let’s go upstairs and slow down and take a nap.”

Maybe God has intervened in our lives through a massive snowstorm to say,

“Okay, slow down, rest for a moment and trust me.”  

But rest and storms don’t seem to go together.

We receive rest differently.

For some of you, rest is an uncomfortable thing which is why you’re always on the go.

You may not be driving 500 miles a day or working 18 hours in a sawmill, but you’re always on the go, scrolling endlessly on your phone logging 45 hours a day because rest is uncomfortable.

For others, rest stresses you out because you’re not making any money when you rest.

You have a constant feeling inside that you must be productive and so the thought of rest makes you cringe.

Or you have this constant feeling that if you do not do it, the whole world will fall apart.

Storms can be helpful because they reveal the truth

Storms can be helpful because they point out to us the deeper issue in our hearts – Faith.

We lack faith; we don’t trust God, especially in the middle of a storm.

The questions that everyone asks when they find themselves in a storm: When will this be over and what will things look like on the other side?

Those are real questions. Hard questions. Many of us have asked those questions in the middle of storms.

18 He sends his word and melts them [snow and ice]; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

We don’t know how long storms will last

The longest, most intense snowstorm that we know of occurred in February of 1959 at Mount Shasta Ski Bowl, California.

Forecasters predicted a few inches, but the storm lasted for nearly a week and dropped 189’’ of snow, just shy of 16 feet.

We don’t know how long storms will last, we can guess but we don’t know.

What we do know is that storms will end.

Regardless of how long this snowstorm lasts, it will end.

Not because of physics, chemistry, or thermodynamics, but because God sends his word.

Just as God spoke the storm into existence, he will speak it out of existence.

This snowstorm won’t last forever. The snow will melt.

In 8 weeks, it will be springtime.

I wonder sometimes if God wants to teach us that no matter how hard it may get in storms, not only will he carry us through the storms, but he will melt the snow and ice so that the waters flow again.

Takeaways

This storm tells us that God is in charge.

We have impressive technology, fast planes, AI, and big bombs.

But we have nothing that can stop 230 million people in their tracks and do that peacefully.

God is in charge of this world and God is in charge of the moments of our lives.

Each of us is a different place.

This snowstorm may represent a storm in your own life.

This week, some things may have happened.

Maybe you and your spouse had a rough week, couple of weeks, past few months?

Maybe you did some things that you’re not proud of, and on top of that you keep falling back into that same thing.

Maybe you get some news that wasn’t what you hoped for and now the sun doesn’t want to shine.

I wish I could tell you that the storm will be over soon, but it may not be. What I can tell you is that the storm will end.

No matter how intense the storm may be, it won’t last forever. God will carry you through it.

For some of you, this storm frustrates you because it has forced you to slow down.

There’s work that you’re unable to do today or tomorrow and that stresses you out.

You’re going to be tempted to curse the snow, the weather, the cold, and what you’re really doing is cursing God (taking his name in vain).

You need to know that God is your heavenly father and right now he’s telling you it’s time to slow down to take a break.

Maybe he’s trying to you something: that your faith needs to grow, that you must learn to trust him more, especially through the storms of life.

Application

Accept and Live in this snowstorm and the storms in your life by trusting God.

Go outside today

Walk in the snow, build a snowman, throw snowballs at one another, go sledding.

Look Up

Look up and feel the nearness of the clouds

Hear the peaceful sound of the snow falling

Trust and believe that God is in charge, that he said it’s okay for you to slow down to take a break.

Know that the storm may last all day, weeks, even years, we don’t know when it will end. But we do know that the storm of life will end because God sends his word to melt the snow and ice to bring new life.