Storms leave aftermath and destruction. If you have not been there…you will. Life has storms that tear apart and disrupt our lives. Storms always bring pain and loss. Storms are scary. Storms reveal to us that no matter who we are or how powerful we think we are, the storm cannot be controlled.

God is so incredible. Yesterday morning God brought back to me a memory of when I must have been 5 or 6 years old living on a farm in De Witt, Arkansas. Mother told the story of me standing beside my friend during a dust storm. With dust spraying in around the window frame, I put my arm around Joe and said, “It’s ok Joe, God is here with us.” Mother told me Joe, turned, and said, “Is that right?” “Yes, He’s right here.” God used a storm to speak into Joe’s heart that day. I also recognize God used my mom to prepare me for such a time.

I woke up the other morning around 3am recalling the number of near-death experiences that I have had. Then the song God gave Andrea Crouch, “Through It All,” poured over me. “For if I never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them – And I wouldn’t know what faith in God could do.” Through it all – Through it all I’ve learned to trust in Jesus – I’ve learned to trust in God – Through it all – Through it all – “I’ve learned to depend upon His Word Oh, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.”

April 3-5 we will Celebrate Easter weekend. This was the greatest storm ever. Only The Father & Jesus knew what was coming…it was the storm that changed history.

Jesus knew the pain that was coming…and He did it anyway. Jesus could have avoided the storm, (Matthew 26:53 “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”) but He knew the cost was unacceptable. To Jesus we were worth it all. Yes, Jesus experienced the worst storm ever because our souls meant that much to Him. And what does He ask in return? To travel life with Him, on His path…to be His lifelong follower. It’s not an easy journey. He told us “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. He even said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

That Friday it all looked like a total loss….Jesus was dead & buried. But on Sunday everything changed… it was The Purpose of it all. God had a purpose for the pain that both He & His Son experienced. An expression often heard during a tragedy is, “Why…Why do bad things happen?” Take comfort in knowing the God of Creation and His Son, the Saviour of the world, have faced this very question. Only they have the answer.

I have discovered my storms are not really mine… they are His. The storm is really a story, a God story for Him to use to reveal His power, Glory & Love. In 2019, God used my broken leg to teach me a valuable lesson about my attitude & focus during the pain of a storm. Pastor Randy ended his prayer in the ER over me with, “that people would see Jesus through Robert’s experience.” That prayer brought purpose to my pain! The next few weeks, while in rehab, God brought so many strangers onto my path; One was a Physical Therapist who told me, “I’m an atheist.” For the next 2 weeks, strapped to my side as she taught me to walk, she had to listen to me talk about Jesus. She could not walk away. Only God does things like this. The storm had a purpose. And the pain… it lost its sting.

“Father… Jesus, thank you for the pain… the heartache you experienced because of me. Thank you for loving me beyond my capacity to understand.” This Easter season join me as I ponder Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” James 4:8