In these past few days I’ve been listening a lot to the song “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns. It talks about the difficult times we face, and how we sometimes deeply desire that God would step in and save the day… but somehow the reply is not immediate or is not in the way we expect… as the song describes: “But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining”. The song then says:
“As the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain…
‘I’m with you’”—Praise You in This Storm, Casting Crowns
Like those words say, you may still be within the rain in the middle of the storm, hearing the big thunder roll; but be still, be silent to be able to hear Him whispering to you that He won’t leave you. He is right there with you to go thru the storm with you, to give you strength, to even carry you. Suddenly, the feeling of His magnificent Grace just surrounds you and the peace of God, which goes beyond all understanding guards your heart and your mind. One of my favorite verses in this song are these:
“Every tear I’ve cried, You hold in Your hand.
You never left my side. And though my heart is torn,
I will praise You in this storm”
Later on the song repeats various times the first lines of Psalm 121: “I lift my eyes unto the hills, Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. The maker of Heaven and Earth”. So even in the middle of the Storm you can cry out to Him. Know your God… the maker of Heaven and Earth… the one who tells you “I’m with you”. Then even in the middle of our weakness or situations that we may want so bad that he takes those away from us; he reminds us of his grace and how in those weakness or situations is when His power may rest on us:
“ But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
To me it is amazing to know that every tear I’ve cried, He holds in his hand… It leaves me without words that even in the storm He gives me the strength to praise Him with all my heart. How even in the storm, He let me put my prayers in His hands and surrounds me with His peace and the knowledge of His love.
“6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
…It is not on our time. The time is His. Let’s praise Him in the storm.