The Storm Is Over: Happy New Year!

It's been raining here for days. Persistent, heavy downpours of rain. Then tonight, New Year's Eve, it stopped. Not a drop. The clouds have parted, and the stars are peeking through. The physical storm is finally over. 

I'm not complaining about the rain. The rain is beautiful and reminds me of wonderful things. However, multiple days of rain is exhausting. You don't realize how exhausting, until it's over. I stepped out to take out the trash and didn't have to rush back in for fear of getting saturated. I walked to the mailbox without drenching my shoes in the nearby puddles that were sustained by a constant downpour. 

Oh, but there's a purpose to the storm. Rain storms change the environment providing suitable conditions for many types of ecosystems. Hydration for these ecosystems produces successful agriculture, rangeland, and human livelihood (food and agriculture organization, fao.org). James 5:18 says that the heaven gave rain and the earth bore it's fruit. So we need the rain, right? 

Spiritual storms are also exhausting. We overexert ourselves in prayer and fasting. We rack our brains to try to figure it all out, only to figure out that only God, in His infinite wisdom, has the knowledge and power to control the storm. While the spiritual storm is exhausting, it is necessary. It changes our spiritual ecosystems, providing suitable conditions for God to grow us and make us fruitful.

The 2015 storm is over. How do I know? Because 2015 is over. Don't go into 2016 fighting 2015's battles. Lay down your weapons and surrender to the One who speaks peace to our storms. Call out to Jesus in your storm, invite Him onto your tossing boat and let Him calm the raging seas in your life. 

Just as I'm glad this physical storm is now over, I'm going to praise Him that my spiritual storm is over. Leviticus 26:4 says that rain will cause an increase and fruitfulness. 2016 will be a year of fresh spiritual ecosystems with an environment rich and ready for harvest because of the 2015 rain!  

The storm is over- HAPPY NEW YEAR!