Last evening, a Sonshine friend was overcome with joy as she attended a magnificent concert of classical Latin music. Sitting close to the stage, she admired the artist as she played the guitar with flawless and effortless ease. This guest loves music but rarely gets a chance to attend any concerts since her chronic disease has limited her mobility over 20 years ago. She has had her share of storms. A gifted teacher who loves to plays the piano and flute, her multiple sclerosis became the storm of her life. Yet, don’t we all go through storms?Some of you might be in some terrible ones right now. It is safe to say that if you are not in one now, you will be. Why? Because that is just the nature of humanity.
I would agree, that it seems like some people's storms are not as severe as others. However, from our perspective this “storm” comes at the worse possible time or might be something we never expected or prepared for in life.
Once there was a King who had wires stretched between the towers of his castle. The reason was he was in hopes of developing harp-like music when the wind blew. He was soon really disappointed. The breeze came but the music did not. He exclaimed, "It just doesn't work." However, one day, before the wires were removed, there developed a big storm like yesterday’s 50 mile per hour winds in Rochester. The wind whipped the wires furiously. Then, suddenly, a magnificent melody was heard. It was just harp-like music.
I suggest you meditate on this profound “lightning rod thought.” I believe that without any storms, without any challenges, without any trials, without any tests, our lives would produce very little recognized music. I can think of many pastoral experiences. Last week, I was called to provide a debriefing for a group of young engineers whose 33-year-old colleague died in a car accident leaving a spouse with a ten week old unborn child and three year daughter.
When the winds of any difficulty draw you taunt and you think you are at your breaking point and you weep before God, “I just can't take much more”-music will result.
God prays for us as we mediate: “Lord, hush (my) storm to a whisper; may the waves of the sea (my problems) be stilled.” Psalm 107:29
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that the difficulty they may have at this time in their life, be used to draw them taunt so that a beautiful melody will be produced. Tune our life's instruments, Lord and may this “little one” start hearing that music in their soul at this time
