Till The Storm Passes By

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face,
While the storm howls above me, and there’s no hiding place.
‘Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispered, “There is no need to try,
For there’s no end of sorrow, there’s no hope by and by”
But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I’ll rise
Where the storms never darken the skies.

When the long night has ended and the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore;
In that land where the tempest, never comes, Lord, may I
Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

I thought of this song recently as we have had some really bad wind storms in Cleveland.  I remember Vestal Goodman singing this great song, and it reminded me that we don’t have to worry and fret during the storms of life.  We have a refuge, a shelter in the time of storm.  We are protected, as the great hymn reminds us, “Under His wings.”

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• “There’s no hiding place” – This is one of those times when the author’s feelings don’t necessarily match up with Scripture.  We feel like we are in a storm and cannot find a hiding place.  We are desperate for shelter and feel like there is no place to go.  I found two passages in Psalms that were a great comfort to me.  Psalm 32:7 says “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”  Psalm 119:114 tells us “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.”   We do have a hiding place.  In God and in His Holy Word.

• “..the hollow of His hand” – This is reference to another passage of Scripture that is also an encouragement to me.  Isaiah 40:11-12 says “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.  Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?”  Isaiah reminds us of not only what a powerful God we serve, but a God who is concerned about the care of His sheep.

Last week, Sheri, the kids and I sat on our back porch and watched the wind when the storms passed by for almost an hour.  I learned some things about the wind and it’s impact on trees that night:

A strong wind will blow off the “dead wood” in a tree.  In my yard and many around Cleveland, dead limbs were strewn everywhere.

A strong wind will blow over “shallow-rooted’ trees.  Trees that seemed to be tall and strong were blown over by the powerful force of the wind because their roots were shallow.

Trees that were flexible or sensitive to the wind moved with the wind.  Stiff or stubborn trees were toppled over.

Trees that were surrounded or united with other trees did much better than those trees going it alone.

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is like a mighty rushing wind.  The question is how do we respond to the “Strong Wind” blowing in our lives.  Do we allow the Holy Spirit to remove the “deadwood” in our lives?  Is our faith so shallow that we are toppled over by the wind or by circumstances?  Are we moving where the Spirit is leading?  Are we flexible with where the Spirit is leading, or stubborn and have to have things our way?  Finally, are we surrounded by other Christians and united with them in accomplishing God’s purposes and being sensitive to the Spirit’s leading?  Or are we going it alone?

If you are in a “storm” today, I pray that you realize the storm will pass by.  You have a hiding place you can go to.  A shelter in the time of storm.

If you aren’t in a storm, I pray that the Holy Spirit’s presence blows into your life and that you are sensitive to the Spirit’s leading.  I pray that you surround yourself with Godly people who can speak truth and wisdom into your life.