There was a young farmer waiting on the rain early one year. He was wanting to get his fields plowed and ready to go for the sowing time. Then, a hard storm came, it damaged part of the barn, and knocked down several large trees. One of the trees was the old oak that his grandaddy carved his initials into with his wife when they bought the farm some seventy years earlier. The young farmer hated to see that old tree go, but he knew he had to move on, he had to get the plowing done while the ground was soft and moist. That storm, rough as it was, made a way for that farmer to be able to plow his fields and to grow food for his family. He was able to sell part of the old oak tree that fell for woodchips, but he kept the part that contained his grandparents’ initials and just enough to make a bench to go on his front porch. He was also able to repair that barn and make it better than it was before the storm came.
That young farmer learned that God will provide even after a rough storm. God will bring us through a storm, even if it seems like the strongest we have ever seen. God has a path laid out for us that He wants us to follow. He will help us stay on course even when it feels like we are going to be blown away. Sometimes in these storms God’s path will not lead how we think it will. God may take us somewhere, or provide for us in a way that we do not expect. That farmer hated to see the old oak fall down, but he was also joyful knowing God would use the money from the tree to provide for his family. God will also help us to grow stronger after a storm, just like He helped the young farmer to build the damaged barn back better than it was before the storm. God uses the storms we face to help our faith grow. God uses the storms to help us learn so that we can serve Him better and trust Him more. Although we may not look forward to the stormy seasons of life, we know that God will bring good out of them, and therefore we can praise God even in the storms. We can rest assured knowing that He will still be glorified even after a big storm. “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.” Psalm 21:13. God Blessed!