Don't Be Afraid of the Rain

In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

—Psalm 57:1b

The Weather Channel reports severe weather along the east coast.

Severe thunderstorm warnings scrolled across my TV screen. Meteorologists pointed out the makings of tornadoes. They directed viewers to the safest places to ride out the storms. My church canceled its regular Wednesday night activities.

I called my daughter Emma to make sure she was safe. She answered on speaker phone, and I could hear my two-year-old granddaughter Layla in the background, “It’s storming, Grandma.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Grandma, you’re driving your car?”

“No, I’m home.”

She must not have heard me.

“Grandma, get out your car,” she said. “Go up your steps into your house. And don’t be afraid of the rain.”

“Haha!” Emma and I both laughed.

“Why did she think I was driving?” I asked Emma.

But as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I knew the answer.

“You have a picture of me in my car on your phone, right?” I referred to her contact icon.

“Yes! She thinks she’s Facetiming!”

We laughed again.

While Layla’s misinterpretation of the icon as a live shot brought levity to an otherwise tense situation, her words of encouragement brought a clear interpretation of Scripture and wisdom well beyond her years.

“Go up your steps into your house.”

Where do you abide? Where do you ride out the storms?

If we abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1), He will cover us with His feathers, and under His wings we will find refuge (Psalm 91:4). We shall not fear the terror of storms that rage throughout the night (Psalm 91:5), for He assures those who love and acknowledge Him, “I will be with him in trouble” (Psalm 91:15).

When thunder rolls and lightning strikes, rain is sure to follow.

Layla says, “Don’t be afraid of the rain.”

What’s a little rain anyway, but a stimulus for growth.

Therefore, let us “glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).

When storms come, abide in Him. Through it all, He’s growing a garden of hope.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your reassuring Word and the wisdom from the mouth of babes. In the midst of storms, may I cling to You, trusting You are at work in me, changing me for Your glory. Amen.