A loud crash and blood-curdling scream jolted me from a deep slumber. I leapt from bed, my feet instinctively carrying me up the stairs toward my daughter’s room. My mind raced to process what was happening.
Thunder + Lightning + Screaming = Thunderstorm.
Having grown up in Kansas, Midwestern thunderstorms are nothing new to me. However, after eight years of parenthood, I am still not accustomed to being awakened by middle-of-the-night screams.
Why must the worst storms always be at night?!
Fortunately, my feet know their way to my daughter’s room, even when I’m still half asleep. When I finally reached her, I snuggled her close and said in my most soothing Mommy voice, “It’s OK, Mommy’s here.” I settled in as she laid down and drifted off to a peaceful slumber within minutes. It was going to be a long storm, so I might as well stay.
I wish I could say this stay-for-the-long-haul parenting method has always been my modus operandi. Sadly, it has not. There have been many long nights of Ping-Pong Mommy, running back and forth from my room to hers, worrying that if I stayed too long I would sabotage her self-soothing capabilities. (Oh, the things we mamas worry about!)
But this. This was one of those “perfect parenting” moments when I wasn’t concerned with how much sleep I was missing or how I might be crippling her independence. This time I was here for the duration, as long as she needed me.
And that’s exactly what she needed…me. She just wanted to know I was there. The storm, with it’s crashing thunder and flashing lightning, raged on outside. But my girl slept peacefully in my arms.
And in that very moment, snuggled under a teal canopy, God whispered to my heart, This is what I do for you.
The storms look different in our lives. They come in the form of unemployment, disappointment in relationships, medical issues, conflict with family members, financial struggle, or any number of other situations. The thunder cracks, the lightning flashes, and we cry out for help. What does God do? He runs right to us.
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry” (Psalm 34:15).
He doesn’t grow weary of our cries. He isn’t annoyed by our neediness. He doesn’t worry about the “other” things vying for His attention at that moment.
You are His child. When you cry, He comes running.
Sometimes He raises a hand and speaks with authority to the storm, “Be still.” The thunder quiets, and the lightning subsides.
“He…rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (Mark 4:39)
We find a better job. The medical scans come back clear. Conflict is resolved; relationships are restored. We take a deep breath, breathe a sigh of relief, and go on with life.
Sometimes the storms rage on. We lose the job. The tumor does not shrivel. Bills continue to come. Conflicts worsen and relationships are severed.
It’s in those times that God holds us tight and wraps His arms around us. He leans in close and whispers, “Be still. It’s OK…Daddy’s here.”
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7).
Our heartbeats calm. Our breathing settles. His presence brings us peace.
Are you facing a storm today? If so, cry out to your Father. He will come running for you. And when He does, you can snuggle into His arms…and rest.
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Nancy, this is absolutely perfect. A beautiful devotion of encouragement. Sharing it with the world. 🙂
Thank you so much, friend!
Thank you Nancy. I needed to read this today. 🙂 Beautiful post.
I’m so glad it encouraged you, Faith. I pray God’s peace surrounds you today. ~Blessings!
Love this post Nancy – I often think about how God loves and comforts us on the same way that we do our children. Shared this post.
🙂
Monica
Thank you, Monica! And thank you for stopping by!
God keeps reminding me over and over and over to BE STILL. I can pray, but now is not the time to act. Thanks for being a reminder, friend!
You are so welcome! Hang in there, girl! He always comes through in the end!! 🙂
Oh, how I needed this today. It hit me in the midst of a raw circumstance. “When you cry, He comes running.” I am so glad to know He is holding me even when I feel lost.
I’m so glad it encouraged you, Jamie! Thank you for dropping in! Rest in God’s peace today, friend!
Beautiful post, Nancy! God just keeps reminding me of this truth over and over again. Thanks for being used to remind me again today!
Thank you, Jen. Happy to hear you were blessed by it.
I’m so glad you stayed with her. I personally get very upset when I hear people taking about teaching their child to self-comfot by teaching them that they are the only one who they can count on. Sounds like a perfect set-up for never trusting to me! God gives children parents to model the God-child relationship. God has never told me “You’re on your own sweetie, you need to learn to self-comfort.” God is always there for us and we need to be there for our kids. Yes, how that plays out changes as they grow, and because you are giving your child a firm foundation you can trust that the ways in which she looks for your support will grow with her. She won’t always want you to come stay with her in a thunder storm. But she’ll always get through the other storms of life because you’ve taught her that she is never alone.
Love this analogy. It was so good. Such a simple way to view what God does for us!
Thanks, Ally! So glad to “see” you online! 🙂
Dear Nancy
What a great post!! Yes, when I look at the love I have for my children, it is much easier for me to understand our Father’s love for us. I just think that Hs love is so much greater than the love we as humans are capable off. Oh, the assurance to know that we an just call out and know He is always there.
Blessings
Mia
You are so right, Mia. I feel I can understand God’s love for me so much more now that I’m a parent, but my understanding is still so inadequate, I’m sure!
Hello, I’m Sarah. I have been through many storms and way this is worded is just great and rewarding. I have come through one of the largest storms in my life, The Joplin Tornado. It has been a rough 2 years but God is slowly helping me get out the words to help others prepare for more tornadic disasters…and prepare their families no matter what. Blessings…
Sarah, I am so sorry you had to go through the Joplin Tornado. We live an hour from Joplin, and I was there a few months after the tornado. It was so much devastation!! I’m glad to hear you are trusting God to walk you through the healing and restoration processes. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Oh Nancy, this is beautiful! Just as we want to be there for our child, Daddy God is there for us. Amen!
Thank you for linking up at Woman to Woman Ministries! Join us again next Wednesday!
Jenifer
Thank you for stopping by, Jenifer, and for your kind words! I will definitely be back to link up again!
Ah, storms. Yes, we know storms well. I live just outside Joplin, Missouri. My husband has worked in the relief and rebuilding effort for the last two years. We’ve had a drought the last two years. This year, the storms have come.
Your post struck a chord in my heart. Thank you for sharing the love of the Father.
Blessings,
Laura
Harvest Lane Cottage
Laura, we live about an hour from Joplin. My husband has been down to help in the relief work as well. The devastation there was crazy!
I’m so glad you were encouraged by my post. Blessings, Nancy
This is beautiful! God is faithful even in the storm. 🙂
Thank you, Jennifer. I’m so glad you stopped by.
What a beautiful reminder…. Thanks for linking up to Thrive @ Home!
Thanks for stopping by, Jenni!
Lovely 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
God bless,
Lois
I’m so glad you stopped by Lois!
This is beautiful. I have been facing my own storm this past month. My soon to be 16-month-old will probably be facing surgery in the near future. We have been down this same road with my oldest who is now ten. In everything I have learned to trust in a Sovereign God and know that His grace is indeed sufficient for me.
Cheryl, I’m so sorry to hear you are in a storm right now. Lord, I pray you would be with Cheryl and with her son. Give the doctors wisdom and guide the surgeon’s hands. We know that You are good and You do good. You are the Great Physician and Cheryl’s son is in more-than-capable hands with You. Give Cheryl peace as she walks with her son through this medical storm. Give her grace beyond her own strength. Thank you, Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Blessings, Cheryl. Thank you for stopping by.