It was a normal afternoon this summer when a brief but intense storm traveled through my neighborhood. I hadn’t been home from work long when lightning struck right outside my house. It was just an instant. It was loud, forceful, and it made an impact. What my husband and I noticed immediately was the damage it did to our sprinkler system. It zapped the control box which we found still smoking in the garage. But after a few weeks, we noticed a much larger effect that bolt of lightning had caused.
Our back yard is filled with beautiful oak trees. Old, tall, established oak trees covered in gorgeous green leaves. But in an instant, lightning struck and it appears may have caused serious damage to 4 or 5 of those trees. What is interesting is that the trunks still appear healthy but the leaves on the branches have begun to seriously wither long before they should. And although the tree guy (and most of our neighbors) anticipates they will die, I am praying they bounce back.
These are trees that have weathered (no pun intended) many storms in the past, managed to stay standing when a neighborhood was built around them. They stood the test of time. They continued to grow and blossom. And then this particular storm came. It made an impact. The trees very foundations were tested.
Our lives sometimes shadow these trees, don’t they? We made a commitment to Christ. We stand strong. We grow and flourish in our faith. We may even withstand a storm or two. But then a harsh blow to our foundations can cause us to wilt under the pressure. And then even the idea of bouncing back can seem far out of reach.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (why doesn’t anyone name their kids after these biblical characters?) knew what it was like to have their foundations tested. King Nebuchadnezzar told them to worship the statue he had erected or they would face certain death. And not just any death. They would be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire (perhaps he was more of a dramatic King but he certainly knew how to make his point).
In that instant, they had a decision to make. But I think in reality they had made that decision many years before when they gave their hearts to God. They were prepared for the storm. Daniel 3:17 – 18 reflects the very essence of the faith of these three guys. Read these two verses in their entirety by clicking here.
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Their faith was not dependent upon what God might do for them. Was God able to deliver them from this crazy hot furnace (the storm they were facing)? They had no doubt he was able! Would God deliver them? They didn’t know but that was really beside the point. God’s existence and power was and is not contingent upon what He does or doesn’t do on any given occasion. Their love, their faith didn’t waiver because of the circumstances they found themselves in. Instead, they trusted the Lord even through the storm.
Some storms we cannot be saved from in this life. There are circumstances that we may find ourselves or those we care about in that are just hard to fathom. Sometimes bad things really do happen to good people. It seems that bouncing back from these storms might be impossible but we know that with God ALL things are possible (Matthew 19:26). And just like Jesus was right there in the furnace with those guys protecting them from the flames, He will do the same for us. He will not desert us in the storm. In fact, scripture tells us that He goes before us.
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My prayer is that we trust in the Lord regardless of our circumstances. That we abide in the faith of His sovereignty and His plan. That we weather the storm with Christ by our side providing His strength, His protection. And perhaps if we aren’t in a storm, that our hearts become burdened by those who are hurting among us. That we walk along beside them, show them Christ’s love, and pray for them to bounce back.
P.S. You’ll have to stay tuned until next Spring for a tree update but I am keeping the faith!
