April showers show God's power

He sends His command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.  He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.  He hurls down His hail like pebbles.  Who can withstand His icy blast?  He sends His word and melts them; He stirs up His breezes, and the waters flow.  --Psalm 147:15-18, NIV

We have had some violent spring weather over the last couple of weeks.  Tornadoes have blown through, hail stones the size of softballs have fallen.  Weather watchers have had to go inside for their own safety.  Television meteorologists have all issued warnings, saying "Please do not travel unless it is absolutely necessary."

Messages like this get our attention.

Most of the weather warnings involve water.  When it is raining in torrents, we slow down.  When it floods or freezes, we stop.  If the water runs swiftly, we may get swept up in it and find ourselves in a different place than when we started.  But we all know that when we travel to arid places, where there is no water, we'd better take some water with us, because we cannot live without it.

In a way, our spiritual lives are like a river.  Sometimes our lives are hectic.  Sometimes we hit obstacles in our way, bounce off them, and move on.  This is like white-water rapids.  Sometimes they are exciting, but ultimately they are shallow and move too fast to soak in.  Sometimes we go with the flow.  We are moving, not too fast, but enough to see a change.  In times like these we might get complacent.  We might get too comfortable.  Or we might want to move ahead and see what's around the next bend.

What are some ways that God can get our attention?  What are some places or situations where the water may stop for awhile?  The best instance might be when it gets deep.  When we went tubing down the river last summer, there were places in the river where the water seemed to stop.  The inner tube we were on would go no further, but only spin slowly around in circles.  This was where the water eddied, where the deepest part of the water was surrounded by sand bars or reefs.  The water was flowing just a few feet toward the opposite bank, but right here in the eddy it was time to relax and reflect.

I think God sometimes directs us to a deep place, where we can stop and meditate on His word.  The world may pass us by for a season, but we need to just stop and soak there for awhile.  God will move us in His time.

A second way that a river is stopped is by being trapped by a dam.  A dam is an unnatural impediment to a river.  It keeps the river from flowing.  The dam could be man-made, or caused by a land-slide, or by an animal such as a beaver dragging tree limbs and other debris into the river from the shore.  If the river is to flow like it was meant to flow, then the impediment needs to be removed.

I think sin sometimes builds up and impedes our walk with God.  It might make us flow a few feet in a different direction, or it might stop us altogether.  If we want to continue in the channel God made for us, sometimes we need to get out and remove the barriers of sin.  We might need to tear down a stronghold that dams up the flow of God's blessing in our lives.

A third way that a river might stop is to freeze.  There have been a couple of times in history that it got so cold in upstate New York that even the Niagra Falls froze solid.  The water gets so cold that it can't move.  Although the river can't change the air temperature, it can wait patiently until the sun comes out and warmth returns.

I think many times we get frozen.  We can't understand why.  We are ready and willing to flow for God.  There is nothing in our way, no impediment in the river bed to stop us in our tracks.  Nevertheless we are stuck until the Son comes and thaws us out.  His presence allows us to return to our normal flow.  We may never know the reason that God had us stop for a time.  Perhaps it was to protect us from a peril downstream, something we are not prepared for.

We only have to trust God, and rely on His presence to guide us, to pressure us to clean out the sin before us, or to direct us to a pool where we can delve deeper into His presence for a time.

May He be your shepherd, and may you lack nothing.  May He lead you to lie down in green pastures beside still waters.  May He restore your soul.  May He guide you in paths of His righteousness for His name's sake.