Persevere

The storm was dark. All around it seemed as if the world had come to an end. She was scared. She was broken hearted, and could not see her way through. Then a little flicker, a tiny light was visible. The light brought hope, comfort, and peace. There was life in and beyond this storm.

The Lord asks us for a humble heart to allow the Spirit to work with in us. He asks us to be still and listen for His voice. No one wants to be in the storm. No one would choose to have their whole world wrecked, but when you are there, being humble and still comes easily. And that place brings a reality to those truths we, as Christians, all claim to know.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. -Matthew 5:4

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion, " says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" The Lord is good to those who wait for Him to the soul who seeks Him." -Lamentations 3:20-25

 I can say the hope, comfort, and peace of the Lord have been more real to me in the last six months than they have ever been. It has truly been a shelter in the storm.

My dad's favorite verses, ones he would quote often, were

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. -James 1:2-3.

Like any good hard headed Miller, I thought I knew what this meant. When times are hard, you put your head down, give a bigger push, and just keep moving forward. That may be needed sometimes in this life, but there is more to it. Verse 4 continues

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

As I start to come out of the storm, the light of the Lord is still there with His truth of hope, comfort, peace, and promise of a completed work, but I find it harder to be still and quiet my heart. I find myself plowing through the day entirely on my own strength. There are exciting things happening, and they can be a distraction. Perhaps the perseverance James is referring to is not just the pushing through the hard times of this life, but the perseverance of nurturing the work of the Lord in us. The continual quieting of our hearts before Him, regardless of our circumstances,

Of course I do not want to stay in the storm, but I do want to remember what I've learned  about quieting my heart, and finding life in Him. I want to have a humble and still heart before Him.  I want to persevere to nurture what He began in the midst of the darkness.