When Storms Are On The Horizon, Hold Fast to Hope

As I drove home, “Without You” from For King and Country came on and I looked up and saw a show of distant lightning though the clouds. A storm brewing on the horizon as the song sang, “O God, give me just a little strength to make it through.”

We all have storms on our horizons. Maybe your storm is already raging, but maybe it’s still in the distance. Maybe it’ll pass by you completely or maybe it’ll hit you full on. How do we make it through? How do we watch the distant lightening storm without being afraid?

Let us hold fast to the hope we profess, for he who promises is faithful. ~Hebrews 10:23

God, I don’t want to live without you.

The refrain in this song says “I don’t want to live without you.” That’s how we weather our storms. We trust that God will be with us through the storm, whether it’s just a distant rumble or a torrential thunderstorm. We commit to living lives with God at the center. We go to Him in prayer – in the good times and the bad – saying, “God, I don’t want to live without you.”

Hold fast, love lasts.

The Bible tells us time and again, “do not be afraid.” As I read the children’s Bible through with my daughter, that was the phrase I heard myself saying over and over and over. It’s throughout every story, every book, every situation. Do not be afraid, God will be with you. No storm is too big for God. God’s love will outlast anything of this world we may face. Hold fast to God, His love lasts.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. ~Isaiah 41:10

Winter turns into summertime.

God promises to restore us and renew us. To turn our despair into praise, exchange our ashes for crowns of beauty, replace our mourning with joy. Maybe not in this lifetime, but in God’s time. He will turn our winters into summers and make all things new.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
~Isaiah 61:1-3

So when you begin to hear the distant thunder and see the lightening on the horizon, do not be afraid. Hold fast to God, dig in deeper in prayer and trust in His promises. Hold His hand through the storm, staying focused not on the lightening, but on His light to lead you through.