“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” Psalm 91:1

A summer storm with high winds and a lot of rain moved swiftly through the area during the night bending and shaking limbs of trees around town. Some limbs were bent to the point of breaking, and when dawn entered, she found many limbs lying on the ground.

Some storms, as did this one, come with very little warning, or no warning at all. They move in quickly with dark clouds, thunder, lightning, strong winds, and sometimes even twisters and tornadoes. Even if and when they pass thru quickly, they often leave evidences of their having visited behind. There are times when the destruction and devastation of a storm is so severe that beginning again is necessary.

Our lives are filled with storms. Often, the storms that come are only dark clouds that are filled with rain. There are other times that the storms shake us severely causing some of the “unnecessary” branches of our lives to be thrown to the ground. Perhaps this is God’s way of pruning us, helping us to grow stronger and more productive in our service to Him.

As we continue to put our trust in Him, we begin to realize, that no storm, regardless of its severity or length, lasts forever and can be used by God to benefit us. We may not ever understand, for sometimes only our Father knows the ways He works in our lives to make us what He wants us to be.