…but it pours.

Is it raining in your life right now? Is everything falling apart? We know that God uses hard times to bring us closer to Him. It’s as if the rain of hardship washes away all the fluff, even the dear fluff, the material, the temporal, whatever we find strength and dignity in, leaving us – naked before God. No stuff or relationships left in which to hid. No comforts in which to rely. No beauty in which to pride. Nothing in our hands, nothing holding back our hearts, our treasure, solely found in Him. Clinging to His promises.

What other time draws us like this to the Father? In good times we are so busy living in the moment we forget Him. In chaos we can ignore Him. In peace, we rest. In abundance, we relax. We don’t seek Him because we don’t have to. There are no questions that we need answers to, no one questions “why me?” while sitting on the beach, or when the baby sleeps all night, or when everything is working.

 

“The Lord is close the the brokenhearted…” Ps.34:18

 

Why would a good God do this? Give us pain just so we will be forced to need Him?

Because we can’t know His comfort, so much sweeter and stronger than that of all the cheap counterfeits the world offers. He wants us to be stronger, so he pushes us from our comfort zone. He wants our rest to be sweeter, our peace deeper, so He makes our work a little harder.

If it wasn’t for darkness we wouldn’t know the light. If it wasn’t for the storm we wouldn’t know calm.

If it wasn’t for sadness, we wouldn’t know joy.

“When through the deep waters I call you to go, the rivers of sorrow will not overflow;
For I will be with you your troubles to bless and sanctify to you your deepest distress. When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply. The flames will not hurt you; I only design, your dross to consume and your gold to refine.” -Keen, 1787

 

The rivers of sorrow will not overflow…