The Calm After the Storm

As many of you know, tornadoes ripped through parts of Oklahoma and surrounding states last night leaving devastation in the wake of its path.  I had the opportunity to report on some of the pictures coming in to the news station where I work.  After sifting through the hundreds of pictures of mangled trees, cars that had been thrown about like toy trucks, and leveled homes, this picture was a bright spot in the midst of all the darkness.  Along with the picture, the viewer put a caption that read, "This flag showed up after the storm had past.  The tornado put the flag this way."  When I read the caption, I immediately thought of God's promises and the little ways He shows us He is still here and in control.

On my drive home, I thought about Noah and the ark and how that story mirrors what happened last night.  God brought the mighty flood to the land and wiped out everything.  There were no foundations left, no survivors.  We're talking totally obliterated.  The floodgates of Heaven were opened for forty days and forty nights and the land suffered greatly.  After the forty days and forty nights, the rain stopped and the earth dried up in 150 days.  Noah came off the ark and built an altar to the Lord and when God saw this, He made a covenant with Noah, promising to never curse the ground again and destroy all life.  The sign of this promise was a rainbow in the sky.  Genesis 9:13-15 says, "I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.  Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh: water will never again become a deluge to destroy all flesh."

Did you catch it?  In verse 14 it says, "Whenever I form clouds..."  God forms the clouds and creates the storms.  God created those tornadoes yesterday and controlled every rumble of thunder and every lightning bolt.  That is the awesome power of God.  Even though through those storms there is sadness and destruction, there is also a peace that comes from knowing, God is in control of everything.  It reminds me of the song I used to sing as a little girl.  "He's got the whole world in His hands.  He's got the whole world in His hands.  He's got the whole world in His hands.  He's got the whole world in His hands."  God holds the whole world and controls all that happens, including the people in it.  Though there is despair today, we can rejoice in the promise He has given us.

The Bible is full of promises God has given to all believers.  In John 15:18 it says, "I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you."  Another promise we can hold on to as believers is that he is coming back for us!  What joy there is in that!  The God of the universe, that created the earth and controls the oceans and tells every lightning bolt where to go loves us enough that He died on a cross to save us and has promised He is coming back to get us.  I have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and hope when I read John 15:18.

When I reflect on all God has promised us, from the covenant with Noah and the sign of the rainbow, to the promise He is coming back for us, I can't help but be hopeful for what's to come.  Today, as we here in Oklahoma and in so many other states pick up the pieces of what's left after the storm, we can forge ahead knowing that God has never broken a promise and He isn't about to start now.  Just like the rainbows that light up the sky after a shower, the picture of that perfectly placed flag stands as reminder to me of the hope we have in the Lord, even after the storm.  Check out the song below and bask in the joy of knowing God controls it all.  He's got the whole world in His hands.

The Start of an Adventure

First off, I want to introduce myself.  My name is Lauren and I am a born and bred Okie and love everything about the great state of Oklahoma.  I love the Lord and am blessed to be married to an awesome, handsome, godly man named Randy.  We have been married for about a year and a half and have loved every second of it!  My husband and I are super involved with the student ministry at our church and lead worship for the contemporary service.  We have a band that consists of Randy and me, plus five college guys.  We are a rag-tag group, but we love the Lord and love leading worship.  I am in the process of writing a devotional book for teen girls with one of my best friends, Robin.  God has been so faithful to continue to open doors, but one thing I have learned is that God does not need our abilities.  He needs our availability. 

I am so blessed to have grown up in a Christian home with Christian parents.  My brother, sister, and I were in church every Wednesday and Sunday and sang in the church choir.  I knew a lot about God, but I didn't have a real relationship with Him.  When I met my friend Robin, I was hungering for something, but I couldn't find anything to satisfy that need in my life.  As I became closer to Robin, I saw how she lived out her relationship with the Lord.  I saw what she had and knew that it was what I needed.  On July 4th, I gave my life to Christ at a 4th of July celebration and my life hasn't been the same since.   

This brings me to the reason I am writing this blog.  In Luke chapter 8, Jesus tells His disciples the Parable of the Sower.  Jesus talked about a sower sowing seed and how some fell on the path and was trampled on or eaten by birds, other seed that fell on rocks and sprang up, but withered quickly because of a lack of moisture, and seed that fell among thorns and was choked out by them.  Then Jesus tells His disciples about the good seed that sprang up and produced a crop 100 times what was sown.  As you read on, Jesus explains the parable and what each seed means. The seed represents God's Word and each seed and where it fell represents a different way our focus can be taken off of God.  The one that got to me was the seed that fell among the thorns.  In Luke 8:14, it says, "As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with the worries, riches, and pleasures of life and produce no mature fruit."  My first thought after reading that passage was, "God, is that me?" 

In the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, he writes, "Don't assume you're the good soil."  More than anything, I don't want God's Word to be choked out of my life because I am too consumed with my schedule or to-do list.  I pray and ask God everyday to make me good soil.  As I began praying that prayer diligently, God showed me a way to not only remember His Word and make it a part of my everyday life, but to also share it with others.  I have never written a blog in my life, but when God laid this on my heart, I began to get excited about the thought of writing about what I'm learning through worshipping Him through His Word and through song. 

My prayer is that through this blog, not only will I become closer to the Lord and fall deeper in love with Him, but that you will too!  There's no better decision you can make than saying yes to God.  It isn't about being perfect.  It's about being willing to be used by Him and for his glory.  Thanks for joining me on this adventure!  God bless you!

Lauren