Present in the Storms and Trees and You
Good Morning Friends,
Yesterday was the first day it did not rain in about two weeks and it got really hot. It had been down pours and more down pours at night…in the morning…mid-day and in the afternoon. Every day here in South Florida we had storms. In our yard, lighting, wind and rain brought limbs down. We live in a forest and one old tree that was no longer alive soaked in all the moisture and fell to the ground. It was surprisingly quite. Then it dawned on me that just as God opens the skies, our Creator can open the hearts of people. God can bring us down or raise us up. Friends, God is Present in the Storms and Trees and You.
Scripture: He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:8 (ESV)
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 (NIV)
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Mark 4:35-41 (NRSV)
Message: Noah and the Ark, Johan and the big fish, Jesus at Sea of Galilee and Paul with his shipwreck all faced storms on the water. Elijah faced a storm on a mountain but I am witness that they occur in forests too. During Hurricane Season, after the wind and the water, one really has to pay attention to the trees. There is a story in the storm but also the trees. After people, trees are the most commonly mentioned living thing in the Bible. I guess it is understandable. Like mountains and seas, trees are typically bigger than we are. A big tree like a big storm can be a bit ominous. Trees with deep roots can weather the storms.Friends, it is in the storms we get to know Jesus. In life, storms will come and Jesus will be with us in them. Jesus will also calm the storms. What kind of tree are you in the storm?
Pray we find the faith to endure life’s storms. Pray we feel the presence of God in a non-destructive wind. Pray we remember that God is always with us. Pray we are rooted in God. Pray we find shelter in the storm.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 