Finding God In The Storms Of Life

I've been thinking about the recent storms and tornadoes that just passed through our area and most of the southern states. As I watched a recent video of the tornado ripping apart Alabama on YouTube, I was in complete sadness.  It was a violent funnel that just cleared it's path the way it intended to do.  I thought about those in it's trek and how scared they all were. I just couldn't even fathom surviving anything like that.  The shock that comes with it would be the worst part of it. 

Last week we had a pretty close call like that, I actually heard the noise everybody talks about when a tornado approaches.  At 2:30 in the morning my son and I heard complete calm outside and what sounded like a large fan above our house.  It sounded like a train riding the tracks and then everything started pounding against our windows and then our house alarm went off.  We were in a panic and all five of us got up and didn't know what was going on. I was hunched over walking  through the house not knowing what might come through the windows.  Then it stopped and it started raining and thundering really bad. A few people in our neighborhood heard it and were in great shock at such a close call.

In the video of the Tuscaloosa tornado I was amazed at the noise that thundered from the funnel. I thought about the loss of life during it's swirling vengeance against the town. The cameraman was saying, "Lord Jesus help those people!" It was a great disaster for that town and the town of Villonia, Arkansas just 25 miles from our house.

I thought to myself why God would allow such a horrid event to take place? I don't think God had anything to with it.  I really have no answer to the question above. It's something I just don't understand but maybe one day when we stand before the creator he will give us all the answers we have been seeking.  All I know is God was there when it struck and God is there right now during the clean up. Those that lost their lives I hope believed in him. And now they are in a better place getting the answers to all the questions we continue to stumble over for an answer.

God is good and he is great.  Today we got a pleasant view of his peace with one of the most beautiful days I have seen in a long time. They always say, " here is the calm before the storm!" And today I thought as I sat on the deck, "Here is the calm after the storm!" We serve an amazing God. At times he can be very confusing and yet after life's storms come we always see his grace helping us solve those storms. I stand amazed, always! Thank you Lord for allowing us to show the world we can stand up against anything in our path and continue on as we our led by your mighty hand!

God's Grace!

God's grace is probably a gift we overlook everyday. An action from God we give very little attention to at all.  I often forget about how wonderful grace is.  We live in  a world that gives little grace toward anyone. In our toughest moments in life there is grace being extended to us from above. Yet, we think very little of how great this gift is from God.
When I read a book dealing with the topic of God's grace, it is then when I realize how under appreciated  it is.  We all deserve to pay a huge penalty for our mistakes but God doesn't see it that way. He gives us his pardon though his great mercy and grace. His grace is huge and beyond our comprehension. 
His greatest story of grace is when the criminal on the cross beside Jesus asked to be in paradise with him.  Jesus offered him grace right then and there, no questions asked. We see criminals every day on the news and we hope they get what they deserve. But a change of heart and renewed spirit of these criminals toward repentance will lead them to God's grace.

We all live in God's grace, the worst of society and the best,  it's extended to us all. The book I have been reading titled "The Grace of God," has lead through all the people of the Old Testament.  It has shown that they all made huge mistakes and didn't lead the best of lives, yet God gave them grace and were forgiven of all wrong doing. He continues to give grace toward all of us, especially to all who believe in him. 

Our society and the churches we belong to have an order that must be followed. Rules that need to be met. If we don't follow these rules and fail we can a lot of times be put to shame because we failed.  I've seen it happen plenty of times. People fail and everyone talks about them and shoves them aside.  Leaving the person to go another direction away from the faith and live a life as an outcast. We needed to give grace to them and realize we to have sinned just like that person also.

One of the greatest things Jesus ever said was, "He who has never sinned cast the first stone!"  Stones dropped and people walked away.  We can judge people a lot because the sin they comitted is a sin we haven't, so we puff ourselves up and heap words of hatred toward them. Our stones were cast and hit that person, it turn we should have thrown the stones at ourselves also.  Sin is great but Grace is bigger. 

I thank God every night for his grace that has been lavished on me. I need it! The things that often come from my mouth or things I do need a whole bunch of Grace thrown on it.  Everything I have is not because of me, it's because of God's gift of grace that I have such things. We don't deserve nothing, but God seems to think we do. I don't deserve forgivness, but God does.

Tomorrow or right now think about how little we think of God's grace and how awful life would be without it. The Lord is planning his giving of grace for our future right now because he knows we need it. Tomorrows grace is already planned. Mistakes are going to happen tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.  Our lives at this very moment are good, but tomorrow they could drastically change but God's is already there. Such a relief to know we are going to make it through the tough times because God is there and he's willing to give us a huge gift of mercy and grace.