A Cloudy Conviction

As someone who lives in one of the rainiest parts of the country, the weather is often the topic of conversation.

If it’s sunny, everyone runs outside to soak in their year’s worth of Vitamin D–and then runs back inside because it’s way too hot.

If it’s rainy, everyone complains about how it’s so gloomy outside and summer will never arrive.

There really is no universally agreed upon “perfect” weather. 65 degrees is ideal for me, but it might be dreadfully cold for you. A little cloud cover is my preference, but perhaps my neighbor is only satisfied with full sun.

Even my dog has an opinion! He refuses to go for a walk if it’s too wet or too hot–which is any temperature above 60 degrees in his opinon.

I’ll confess, I’m one of those people who always has some critique about the weather. But I’ve been convicted about that recently.

Yesterday at work, many people were complaining about how wet and dreary it’s been this week, especially this close to summer.

But when I came home, I learned that a friend had a house fire earlier this week, and their home–in fact, their entire street–was spared from destruction because it had rained.

I certainly felt convicted. Not just about complaining when it’s gloomy outside, but anytime I’m upset when God seems to be doing things that go against what I think is best.

God knows what He’s doing, even when on the surface, it seems like the opposite of what we want.

He created the weather, so through both sun and rain, we must trust that He planned out the seasons with intention.

God created us, so He knows what He’s doing inside us even when we feel lost or confused or broken beyond repair.

The good news is, God’s will isn’t thwarted by our complaining or lack of trust in His perfect plan.

But when we learn to surrender to His will, when the storms come, we will be anchored in His peace.

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 6:17-20 (NIV)

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 

1 John 5: 14 (NIV)