When The Dark Clouds Gather

“When the dark clouds gather, the light is more brightly revealed to us.”

Charles Spurgeon

Have you recently observed the formation of a storm where the dark clouds gather together, creating a black heavy curtain that looms over the earth. The wind begins to pick up and for a second, our beating hearts stop to the sound of crashing thunder and bolts of lightning overhead. Storms are an extraordinary phenomena. Their strength and magnitude cause us to brace for the unexpected. Isn’t that also true for the storms in our lives? We discover in the midst of the mundane, our lives can turn on a dime. We become paralyzed by the sudden shock of change as we face the aftermath. Soon after, fear sets in which overshadows the tiniest inkling of any hope we once had that everything will be ok.

Yet even in this moment, as we listen with our hearts, a gentle whisper speaks through the storm. “Be still and know that I am God.”

Be Still. These two simple words go against our human rationale. How are we supposed to just “be still?” But as His Word sinks in, a glimmer of light breaks through the dark gathering clouds. This is a picture of the believer’s faith journey. And in this divine moment, we become divinely changed.

It isn’t the sunshine that draws us closer to God. It’s the storm that challenges our strength and our security by showing us we haven’t any strength, nor do we have any security. God alone is our strength and is sovereign even over the storm. Therefore, be still and know that Jesus Christ is God who in the dark gathering clouds, will shine His light more brightly in us.