Peace in the Thunder

Sometimes peace like a river requires faith in the thunder.

On a recent tubing trip with my family, we were delayed on a bus, by a thunderstorm. For over an hour, the storm raged and then let up. We were told to get off the bus and then right back on, two different times. There were people who demanded to be taken back to their cars and the driver obliged.

We waited patiently.

At last, the rain stopped. The sun came out and we got the all clear.

I got my tube and dashed to the water as quickly as I could, hoping for some space between me and some of the loud occupants of the bus. I floated for a few minutes, so grateful that we had waited out the storm.

We had followed the rules. We had been patient and the cool, refreshing water was our reward. Yes, we had passed whatever test that had been placed before us and we were in for smooth sailing. All of the tubers around me were laughing and enjoying themselves.

Life seemed just about perfect for a time.

When I had floated for fifteen minutes or so, a booming thunder-clap pierced the air. Now, everybody knows that you get out of the water, the minute you hear thunder. My mama always made us get out of the pool immediately when we heard thunder and just a week before, my sister and I had made our own kids do the same.

The problem was, I was in the middle of a river on a tube. Where was I going to go? Under a tree? There were no good options, so I prayed.

I prayed that God would keep me and my family safe as we were in the worst possible place to be during a thunderstorm. We had followed all of the rules. We had waited patiently. Why were we being subjected to danger?

Life sometimes turns out that way. We sometimes find ourselves in danger of some sort that we did nothing to cause.

But, as I said my prayer, I was filled with peace. I mean seriously, if God was ready to call me home, there wasn’t much I could do about it. I had in fact, followed the rules. I hadn’t acted foolishly. Was there anything that could possibly be gained by my worry?

The answer of course, was “no.” My life is always in God’s hands; being on a river on a tube, with thunder, just happened to make that fact incredibly clear at that moment.

The Bible often tells us not to worry or to be afraid. “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

The rest of my float was uneventful and quiet. There was no more thunder and the sun continued to shine.

I thought about that thunder in the days that followed. I thought about how I was initially struck with fear and how prayer had filled me with peace. I thought about how my life truly is in God’s hands and that His plan for me is always good.

The same is true for you. A loud clap of thunder reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂