The Faithfulness I Couldn't See Then: Recognizing God's Hand After the Storm
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For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.– Psalm 57:10
When the Storm Blocks the View
When you watch dark storm clouds slowly moving across the sky toward you, they can bring a true feeling of dread. You don’t know for sure what’s going to hit you, but you know it could be dangerous, like hail, winds, or tornadoes. Then the storm arrives and, here in the midwest, we think about going to our basements when the sirens or weather radios go off. Once there, you just pray it will go by quickly, and that no one will be hurt and that there won’t be any damage.
Life can be like that. Sometimes the pain we experience can feel so overwhelming that we simply can’t see what God is doing. This isn’t a lack of faith; it’s part of being human.
Looking Back with New Eyes
I’ve also learned that I am not in control. It may seem naive that I thought I was, but we all look for ways we can control things as they happen to us. To make the pain less. To bring a quick ending to the suffering. As time goes on, the waiting feels like watching paint dry.
As I get older and time passes, I begin to notice things I couldn’t see before: the protection God provided for us, His guidance through difficult waters, the people He sent to us in our pain, and the strength He quietly gave.
God Was Working in the Silence
God’s work isn’t always like fireworks. We don’t regularly see the Red Sea parting or hear thunder coming from heaven as His voice. Often, He is working behind the scenes, preparing the backdrop and the script, while we think He is not paying attention to our pain. I am learning that spending time in prayer and reading the Scriptures is extremely important during trials, and actually all the time. It helps us to receive comfort and peace while we face darkness.
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His Timing Was Better Than Mine
Several years ago, we decided to build a new home in the country. Within the first year of living there, the company my husband worked for almost 30 years decided to close its local office. Over the next two years, he daily wrote cover letters, prepared his resume with care and detail reflecting his skills for the latest job offering, and waited on employers to notice the hard work he had put into his work.
Yes, it took two years, and ironically, he was hired back by the same company in a different position to work remotely. This wasn’t a restful period of time, but we were blessed that he received some funds that helped us get through that time financially. God was watching out for us.
I share this story because we can look back at that time now, realizing that if he had been working during those two years, he would not have been able to spend the time that he was able to spend with his mother who had a stroke and then passed away during that time. It allowed him to spend time with her that he otherwise would not have been able to do. God gave them that time.
The Gifts Hidden Inside the Trial
Suffering and pain are not pleasant, and I’m not going to pretend they are. The gifts hidden inside the trial are in how God uses them in our lives. He can produce resilience, patience, compassion, a deeper faith, wisdom, or a greater dependence on Him through difficult seasons. If you’re like me, it may take a while for me to realize what gift I have received. And sometimes I’m not truly thankful. Life is a journey that we all take, hoping for great things while having to deal with difficulties. It’s a good time to take a look at my heart and see where my treasure is. Is it in what I can attain here on earth? Or am I looking at eternity and how I can lead others to the Lord and make heaven crowded? Am I giving Him glory in how I handle life’s storms?
Tomorrow’s Faith Begins with Yesterday’s Faithfulness
As I glance back in the rearview mirror at God’s faithfulness, I would suggest that everyone take a look back at his trials. Can you see God’s hand in them? Maybe you don’t know. That doesn’t mean you won’t learn down the road that God’s hand was in it. There are some terrible experiences people have gone through, and maybe those are cases where we won’t know anything until we reach eternity. Looking back isn’t about living in the past; it’s about gaining confidence to trust Him with whatever lies ahead.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23
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Reflection Question
When you look back over your life, where can you see God’s hand now that you couldn’t see at the time?
Simple Activity
List three difficult or painful experiences in your life. Under each one, try to list at least one way you can now see God’s faithfulness or presence at that time.
Breath Prayer
Inhale: Lord, open my eyes.
Exhale: Help me see Your faithfulness.
Closing Hope
We may not always see that God is holding us in His hand while we’re going through a storm, but that doesn’t mean He has left us. Sometimes the sky doesn’t show until after the clouds and darkness begin to move out. This is similar to how we may not see God until after we are through our pain. But when you remember God’s faithfulness in the past, I pray you will find courage in trusting Him with the future.
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