ita qui potes cantare

So that we are able to sing.

Mark 4:35-41 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (NIV 1054).  

Everyone has been through some type of conflict, no matter how old.  As I was reading different books and bible passages recently, I was inspired by the past few days of cloudy, misty, rainy, stormy weather.  In Minneapolis, Robins jar a person awake at nearly 3:00 am. Unfailingly.  Every morning.

Many people are over dramatic about the "Storms of Life".  When a person goes through a difficult time, however, they usually search for something stable to stand on.  For who wants to stand on unstable ground?

If a person were to watch a storm, it is full of awe.  The cumulonimbus storm clouds gather, and little creatures take cover in their hidden homes.  "He...says to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' The animals take cover; they remain in their dens.  The tempest comes out from its chamber; the cold from the driving winds" (NIV 566). 

What happens after the clouds clear, after the trouble, the heartache, worry, strife?  Is it safe to go out again?  Not one desires to be crushed by trouble; making sure it is clear requires discretion, caution, wisdom.

When it is time, however, nothing can stop the living creatures from coming out from their tiny hiding places; they thrive out of their homes.  The robin hops from tree to tree, then flits to the ground.  

"The storm is over!" He sings.  

After the storm, the ground is soft, and soon, he begins to dig into the earth with his beak, searching for food.  When he has found enough and is satisfied, he flies back to his perch in order to continue his joyful melody.

"The storm is over!" He repeats, and for good reason, too.  It's only after the tumultuous weather that he can feed himself.

So God provides the storms, trouble, and heartache, if only to feed his creatures; if only to help them sing, showing them that he is really bigger than any cumulonimbus cloud in the sky.

Sources: 

Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. Print.