Devotion

Weathering the Storm
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. ---Psalms 34:7

If you've ever spent time in the Carolinas during the summer, you know that thunderstorms come up quick, fast, and in a hurry. The morning may start out bright and breezy, but by lunchtime the sky is intruded with threatening black clouds, boulder dropping thunder, and Hercules size lightning bolts! I remember as a child how Momma could hear the first rumble of thunder fifty miles away! (So - my mom has superpowers...what can I say?) Between the roll and the clap, she called me and my brothers to the living room, and we sat still while she silently prayed. We stayed right there  until the storm arrived, showed out, moved on, and left nothing behind except a quietness that was broken only by water dripping from the house, birds chirping in trees, and the splash of tires going down the street. It was like watching a bad attitude come with disruption and then leave because nothing joined in to add to its menace. And the refreshing peace it left behind beckoned my brothers and I to take advantage of a nap we surrendered to as the storm rolled away. I share this memory with you with the hope that - whenever a pop-up storm threatens your mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional peace - you will consider doing what my mom made us do. Don't try to make yourself busy to divert the storm. Plant yourself firm in your faith and pray. Allow the angel of the Lord to settle what threatens you. Be still in God's peace, and before long you'll see that the storm will be passing over...Halleluiah.