Life’s Storms Linger but Won’t Last Forever

A friend clung to this truth when one hardship after another struck her. First, her infant son became ill and died. She was still reeling when life-threatening illnesses hit several extended family members, and her husband lost his job. She felt like she was living in Job’s shadow. She says despair would have overwhelmed her but knowing that Job’s hardships eventually came to an end renewed her hope.

The knowledge that life’s storms linger but won’t last forever throws us a lifeline, especially when hardships roll over us like waves, one after another after another. But unlike the ocean waves that never stop breaking on shore, our troubles will come to an end.

God works at all times and through every difficulty we face. We can’t begin to understand His purposes for our pain, but we can rest assured that He is doing something good in His eternal plan. In His time, He will bring those purposes to pass, and He will bring our trials to an end. In the meantime, let’s choose to trust Him.

The Rain Will Stop

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. Psalm 107:28 (ESV)

Pause

Sailor-Man and I woke to the sound of rain pelting our boat. We were anchored far from shore, and the nearest town was at least two hours away—too far to motor across sloppy seas for no other reason than to escape our confined space. Riding out the storm was our only option, so we hunkered down inside and hoped the weather would clear.

Morning rolled into afternoon. A couple more hours passed and then, finally, the sunshine poked through the clouds. Its warmth wooed us, grateful, from our mini-ark.

Life’s storms come and go like rainstorms. When they’re present, they might feel as though they’re here to stay. But this we know—the clouds will part and the sun will shine in God’s good time. He’s working in ways we can neither see nor understand, and he will deliver us from our distress when he has fulfilled his purposes.

Be patient. Hang onto hope as you hunker down. He hears your cries for help, and he will bring this rainy day—or season—to an end.

Ponder

What’s your attitude as you wait for the rain to stop?

Pray

God, teach me to hunker down with a hope-filled heart until the rain stops.

“He knows when we go into the storm, He watches over us in the storm, and He can bring us out of the storm when His purposes have been fulfilled.” – Warren W. Wiersbe, Looking Up When Life Gets You Down