Circuit Thoughts

I am looking out the window, and it is wet. The forecast tells me it is going to get wetter. Being near a river, wet means a rise in the water level. Many a farmer are wanting to get into the field to plant and plow but can’t because it is so wet. This is spring in the river country of Missouri.

As I look out the window, I can’t help but think of the overall blessing that comes with the rain. Flooding does its own cleansing of water ways. Seeds will germinate and grow. The water table will be replenished. But flooding also brings loss of property and lives. Whole communities have been decimated by floods. Recovery often takes years.

Recovery is the key term here. No disaster ever lasts forever. Mourning turns into dancing (Psalm 30:11). Because we are people of faith, we can always look forward to recovery and blessing. Hard times are temporary.

I know, I sound like Pollyanna (ask your grandparents, kids), but that is the one truth that I have found in my personal journey with Christ. The bad is only temporary. Even mourning at funerals is temporary. Yes, we are sad when we lose a loved one, but as time goes by, something wonderful happens. We never stop missing that loved one, but we also see how blessed we were to have known and loved them.

Even when a disaster hits us, we can look to the future and know that eventually we will come out of it. Things may look different than we expected, but In Christ we are promised recovery.

If you read the Old Testament of the Bible, you will see time and again the failure of the Israelites. Yet, each time they were faced with disaster, God never forgot, and brought them home again. He even had the conqueror pay for the rebuilding of the Temple. (Read the book of Nehemiah for more details.)

This is why church attendance and bible study are so important. In these we learn how the Bible continues to point to God’s good works in the lives of those that believe. We also see how we can be used to bring about recovery. God can and will use us to be the one who brings hope and joy to someone. Church helps us to be ready and available. We are part of recovery.

So, as we face the threat of flood and storm, or even upheaval, we need to understand one thing. God is in charge and God will pull us through. There is no scenario that God can’t and doesn’t have a part in. The world would have you believe that God is not around, but I am here to tell you he is.

The clouds look dark, but there is blessing behind them. Rest assured, God is at work. Recovery will happen. Your mourning will be turned into dancing.

God bless and I will see you in church.