Im gonna take a wild guess and say that 2020 was a hard year for you too.

Maybe you lost a job, had to homeschool your children, got sick, lost a loved one, experienced injustice or went weeks without human contact. I’m not sure what happened in your life but I do know we all were hit unexpectedly and left wondering what on earth do we do now?

I am positive that there were good moments, blessings and joy that abounded as well for you. Even though it wasn’t an easy year.

I lost my job, we quarantined, homeschool was crazy hard, we had problem after problem with our house, my pregnancy wasn’t easy. These moments, and many others, knocked me to my knees. They had the potential to break me. But they didn’t. Why not?

There is always going to be a storm.

You can’t predict when the storm will hit, how much damage it will cause or how long it will last. But you can rest in the promise that it will not last forever.

Remember in Sunday school when you learned about Noah and the Ark? What was it God placed in the sky as a promise to never flood the whole earth again? A rainbow. God has given us the same promise in our daily lives.

When storms arise, we have Jesus as our promise of salvation.

Jesus has authority over the wind and waves. When He speaks they MUST obey. (Matthew 8:23-27, Luke 8:22-25) This means that no matter what season or struggle you are facing today, Jesus is right there holding back the waves that try to overwhelm you. He is there blocking the strength of the wind so that you will not be held down or blown away.

Yes, you will still hurt and struggle and endure the trials laid out across your path, there is no way around that. But there is beauty, healing and growth that occurs when you let God wash away the fear, insecurities, anger, and brokeness. He will redeem you, restore you, lift you up and bless you. You just have to continue seeking Him and praising Him through the storm.

How do I seem so confident about this? Because we made it through. God had his hand on every detail of last year. No, the world isn’t magically back to “normal” and honestly it won’t ever be the same. But God IS always the same. I witnessed His strength and patience during homeschooling and His financial provision when I lost my job. I saw His mercy when I was too sick to get off the couch, and His blessings of amazing people who helped out when appliances broke and pests seemed relentless. I lived within the goodness of God in the midst of a global pandemic. When it didn’t make sense to abound in blessings and joy and peace, that’s exactly where He sheltered me.

I hope you take a moment right now to pause and really look back on 2020, on your life up until now. Do you see God’s provision in your life? What about His goodness? His mercy? Maybe your faith has been shaken, or you’ve experienced storms that were too big and scary and lasted too long. But God has been and is always present with you.

I pray that you find comfort in knowing that no matter what life throws at you, God is with you there. Sunshine will come again and it will feel warmer and brighter than ever before because you’ve made it through the storm.