Praise You in this Storm

On Sunday at church we sang the song Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns. In light of all the hurting I’d been exposed to over the week the song was especially moving. It’s a great song musically, but when the music is combined with the lyrics the result is powerful. Like most of you I get excited and sing along whenever it comes on, but on Sunday I found myself unable to sing along. As soaked in the lyrics on the screen I was completely moved.

There I was, safe outside the storms around me, yet able to partner with so many in prayer. I was hit with what a heavy responsibility it is to be able to go to God in clear weather with clear vision and pray for those who are faced with the limited visibility of the storms. What really moved me though was the sadness of knowing the different responses of those within the storms. Giving praise to God was not the most common storm response. Instead, worry, fear, panic and hopelessness seemed to dominate.

One of my coworker’s storms ended with an ideal outcome. As a fellow believer her grateful response included the proclamation that “God is Good!” A true statement and I know what she meant, but many times I think we believe that somehow the level of God’s goodness is contingent upon how favorably we view the outcomes of our situations. God was just as good when my coworker’s son walked away from the hospital miraculously healthy as when another coworker had to leave her dying mom in Hospice’s care.

I pray that I’m fortunate enough to avoid the storms, but I also pray that when (yes, when) they do come I’ll be able to keep my sight on Jesus and not be toppled by the chaos around me. 

Posted in: Prayer,Songs,Thankfulness,Trials