The contemporary Christian band "Casting Crowns" has a song called "Praise You in this Storm." In the song the artists talk about how, even in the midst of the storm, they are able to praise God within the storm.
Storms of life happen...whether they be physical, like Hurrican Katrina, or emotional, like the death of a loved one, illness, or desertion. The really interesting thing about things like Katrina is those in the storm’s path were able to sit and watch it come in for over two days. I remember watching it on weather radar...praying for the safety of those in its path. The even more amazing thing is that some of those who could have left didn’t...they didn’t prepare for the storm by evacuating...they just waited for it to come in...and then began to worry about being rescued from its grips.
Isn’t that like us today? We don’t prepare for the storm before it hits...we don’t develop the relationships with other human beings we need until the storm is here...and often it is to late. We can only ride out the storm and hope to be rescued. Isn’t it better to just prepare for the storm in advance...anticipating its inevitable arrival?