Most mornings, I wake up with a song in my heart. This song can make me feel better, give me hope, or energize me, depending on how I'm feeling. Today, the song I had in my heart was "Still (Hide Me Now)" by Ruben Morgan from Hillsong. This made me think about the difficult times I've been through in the past and how God has been with me.
The lyrics of the song goes like this;
Verse 1
Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand
Chorus
When the oceans rise
And thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father You are King
Over the flood
I will be still and know
You are God
Verse 2
Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust
To be honest, when I faced tough times, I didn't always stay calm right away. It's a bit like the storms we see in different parts of the world – they can be loud and destructive. When a storm is coming, many countries warn people and sometimes even ask them to leave their homes to stay safe.
From facing storms and reading stories, I've learned some important things. One, when you're in a storm, it's not a good idea to try and go through it on your own. It's like a story where a ship's captain learned this lesson the hard way.
There's a story in the Bible about a man named Paul who was on a ship. He told the captain that there would be trouble on their journey, but the captain didn't listen. When the storm finally came, it was very bad. Even though the sailors on the ship tried everything, they couldn't stay safe. But God had promised Paul that everyone would be okay, and they were. Sometimes, people want to run away from the storm, like those sailors who wanted to leave the ship. But Paul knew they needed to stay put, and that decision saved their lives.
Another lesson is that when a storm hits, it's important to find a safe place to hide. Just like when bad weather comes, we look for shelter, like a building or a place to keep safe. The song I was singing talks about asking God to protect us like being hidden under His wings.
Life's storms can hit us suddenly, like when someone we love passes away, we lose our job, or we get sick. These are tough things to face, and sometimes people try to hide their pain using things like drugs or alcohol. But what I've learned is that the best hiding place is with God. That's why the song asks God to hide us.
As a Christian, I've come to understand that facing hard times is part of life. It's not about if these hard times will come, but when. And how we handle these tough times shapes what happens next. In a story from the Bible, Jesus and his friends were in a boat when a big storm came. Jesus was sleeping, while his friends were scared and trying to keep the boat safe. They woke Jesus up and were upset because he seemed calm while they were scared. I can understand why they felt that way, as I probably would too!
This leads me to another important lesson: knowing that God is with us during hard times. Looking back on my own experiences, I wish I had known that God was right there with me when the storm hit. It would have made my nights less anxious and sleepless, knowing that I wasn't alone. I could have been sure that even though everything felt chaotic, I wouldn't be overcome by it.
The last lesson I've learned is to be still when the storm is raging. It's not a time to go out and do things, but to find a safe spot and stay put until things calm down. The words of Psalm 46 in the Bible capture this idea. The writer tells us that God is a safe place for us, and that we should be still and know that He is in control.
So, every morning when I wake up to a new day, I remember these lessons that have come from my own experiences and from reading stories like the ones in the Bible. They remind me how to face tough times – by seeking help, finding safety, knowing God is with us, and staying still until the storm passes. Just like the song I mentioned above, these lessons bring a rhythm of strength and hope to my life.
