It had been a beautiful, sunny day here in Springfield, Mo. As I walked across the parking lot after work, I felt the first few drops of an unpredicted early summer rain. Before I got home the car was being pelted with those huge drops of water that signify a Midwestern thunderstorm.

It was a downpour by the time I drove into the garage. Soon we heard the tornado sirens. A funnel cloud had touched down just north of the airport and the warning was to continue for about 45 minutes, with sirens sounding intermittently.

Then, just as soon as it had come, the storm was gone. The sun peeked out from the quickly dissipating clouds and soon was shining again in all its glory.

Peggy and I got on our bikes and rode the South Creek Trail for an hour. It was just as if there had never been a storm. I have lived here long enough to understand that in the Midwest the weather can be unpredictable and quick changing.

Just like life.

Matthew 5:45 (NIV) says, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

As a pastor I have learned a few things about the weather changes of life.

Storms do not treat everyone the same. Once a tornado dropped down in the middle of town, destroyed one building, then left without touching another building.

When floods hit Ashland, Ore., where we pastored, one family in our church lost their home, some had damage and others were unaffected.

Only God knows why some suffer while others nearby escape without harm. I have given up trying to figure this out. But I have noticed that sometimes those who are blessed forget those who have been hurt. We must not forget our brothers and sisters in their time of need. It could have been us.

And perhaps most important:

Bad weather doesn’t last. It may do damage but it eventually leaves. God takes no delight in the suffering of His saints. He wants to bring you through the storm.

Ken Horn

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