Praise in the Storm

There is a song by the band Casting Crowns that I like: I Will Praise You in the Storm. And sometimes in the midst of the storms of life, I’ve listened to this song, and in those moments, I’ve wanted desperately to get there – to be able to offer praise in spite of the circumstances. It can feel like a surrender, a relief.  

I can’t start there. No one can. But I do want to get there.

We all know people who have had a tragic event in their life, and they can’t seem to move on from it. I have a good friend who lost his wife back in 2019. It was devastating. I can’t even begin to imagine that level of grief. It was so overpowering, that life lost its luster. The tragedy is that now, even four years later, he’s stuck. 

I’ve heard it said, that there is a certain kind of despair that sets in when we begin to believe that our best days are behind us.

A colleague, in writing about the loss of his own son way too young, said, of course, it was devastating. And, admittedly, he will never be the same. He wept and wept. He lamented. He was angry. Angry at God. But he said that at some point he realized there were two roads forward, mutually exclusive. One was the road of bitterness and cynicism (which becomes a way of being). And one was the road of gratitude, gratitude for the life that was lived, gratitude for the time he was given.

At some point, we choose to move from victim to survivor. Am I going to become embittered and cynical, or am I going to find the blessings around the edge? Even amidst the mourning, can I learn what I need to learn, can I grow stronger, can I find gratitude?

Today, may you remember that God is with you in the midst of the storm. And even though they may be hard to see right now, there are blessings ever around you. 

Let us pray: Loving God, hold tight to those who need you near right now. Lay your healing hands on them. Help them sense your presence, and glimpse your grace. In Christ’s name. Amen.