Pulling weeds on a warm April day, I am aware of many things. The temperature of the dirt. The feel of it crumbling through my fingers as I lift another root out of the ground. The stillness taking over the sky. Birds have quieted their songs and a low, gentle rumble can be heard from somewhere distant. A breeze drifts by, its coolness flowing over my hands and face. The recognizable dampness that comes only just before the rain- with the scent of something strong, fresh, revitalizing- has arrived. In a few minutes, perhaps even an hour, there will be rain. A storm. With power to nurture; destroy; beautify; reveal. Whatever God commands.
In His kindness and wisdom, He has gifted that moment of peace and comfort preceding the storm to envelop, to calm. Perhaps not so much a warning of what is to come, but a reassurance that He is in control. That in Him, we can breathe in His refreshment. To feel again the invigoration of life that He has created and made new. He graciously allows us to have that moment of tranquility to get us through the storminess that is about to pass by. The storm may not halt us, but it can redirect us. Fully embrace the cool breeze ahead of it so that it may lead you- harbor you- for whatever may come.
Psalm 68: 7-9
When you, God, went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.
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