After the storm is over, there is a period of dampness and drizzle.  It is the aftermath of our greatest storms, that truly challenges our faith and what we believe to be truth. While the harsh winds are gusting and the rain is beating against you, the challenge becomes to simply stay standing.  But after the storm is over, there is always trash and debris that has been released from the nice neat bags we have put them in and we find that we must revisit the trash we threw away yesterday.  Our homes have been damaged and must be repaired at the same time smaller down pours are to be endured throughout it all.  Yes the storm is over and yes you are still standing, but you soon realize the battle is not over.   Just as relief begins to take a place in your life, you begin to notice there is still work to be done. 

So now what?  What is waiting for me on the other side of this storm I have weathered? You are feeling a little safer so emotions begin to surface and you peak out from where you have been hiding allowing the sun from a new day to greet you.  You begin to realize that you are standing but your legs are tired, your arms are sore and your back is weakened and still you know to praise God and thank him for His shelter.  As the Sun, His Grace and Glory are warm to your face and comforting to your spirit.

As you are living in praise and thankfulness you soon find your legs are more tired that you first realized and you begin to stumble.  Your arms are so sore they begin to tremble as you try to continue holding on to the stuff you’ve been carrying.  Your back is giving out and the weight is just becoming too great and so you begin to look around for something to support you and it becomes hard to find anything among the debris; the trash is now all you can see.  You begin to feel overwhelmed by all that you must now see, touch and feel all over again.  You can’t see anything but the trash that blinded you in your yesterday. 

And then I remember my true refuge through the storm and what brought me through, and scrap by scrap and broken piece by piece I begin to pick up my trash and repair my home.  And He continues to clearing my path.  It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect (Psalms 18:32 NKJV).  For my battle is not over and so I retreat back to my hiding place and place of refuge; Prayer. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip (Psalms 18:33-36).

So often as the storm is passing and all seems well, we step away from the One who sheltered us and brought us through.  It is not always intentional but most times it is out of our feelings of victory and relief.  Our focus widens with our daily experiences and we tend to be like Peter in Mathew 14 and we take our eyes from the One who can allow us to walk on water and will continue the fight for us; Jesus. 

I pray that even after your storm has passed that you maintain your focus on the One who has carried you this far.  Enjoy God when his arms are free to hug you instead of carrying you, when you can walk with him and He not for you. It is a wonderful place to be, along side the King.

I love you all Andrea Pannell