By I recently was asked to write a devotional for my church. Being the queen of efficiency (or laziness), I’ve posted it here too. My topic was strength in trials. I had some water damage from a recent storm (and a clogged drainage pipe in my window well that is a much longer story than any wants to read), so that became the focus of my rant…er…I mean reflection. No picture captures the ick of wet stinky carpet, but I did include one minor one as well as what the room looks like today – stripped of carpet, furniture and about 6 inches of sheetrock. No idea when I’ll fix as this isn’t covered by insurance (and the clogged drain has got to get unclogged first).
I am surprisingly calm. I’ve definitely survived worse storms in my life, so I know this will get resolved.
Scripture:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”- Psalm 46:1
Reflection:
Back in August, a summer storm blew through Atlanta. My friend was driving us home from dinner, and I remember feeling grateful for the roof over my head—both in the car and at home—as rain poured down, lightning flickered, and thunder shook the ground.
That was Tuesday night. I thanked God for His protection, not knowing the storm wasn’t quite finished with me. Fast forward to that weekend – I walked into my basement to find the carpet soaked. Gratitude quickly turned into worry: Why did this happen? What am I going to do? I felt powerless and quietly whispered, life isn’t fair.
But that’s life, isn’t it? Storms come in many forms. Mine was a literal one, but there are others—illness that changes everything, the loss of someone we love, challenging work and personal relationships, stress that robs us of sleep and peace. In those moments, I can feel battered by grief or weighed down by fear, wondering how long I can hold on. But when I pause, take a deep breath, and remind myself of God’s steadfast love, I find I can breathe again—because I know I’m not facing it alone.
Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” I’ve clung to those words like a rope in the wind. When loss brought an ache no one else could touch, His comfort wrapped around me like shelter from the rain. In relentless stress, I’ve felt His peace—like the eye of a storm—quiet, steady, and untouched by the chaos around me.
Trusting God doesn’t make the storms vanish. The winds still blow, and sometimes the rain doesn’t stop for a long time. But faith means I don’t have to survive them in my own strength. I can lean into the One who never changes, who sees the beginning and the end, and who promises never to leave me.
Looking back, I see His fingerprints all over the hardest moments—strength I didn’t know I had, encouragement that arrived right on time, and peace that made no sense at all.
Life’s storms may be unpredictable, but God’s presence is constant. And that changes everything. I may not control the wind or the rain, but I can stand knowing I’m never standing alone.
