Ive always loved a good thunderstorm. As kids, whenever a storm was truly incrediblewith booming thunder and buckets of heavy rain pounding downmy siblings and I would make a mad dash around the outside of our house, slipping and sliding along the way. When it was time to go back inside, we were soaked to the bone.
It was an exhilarating tastefor just a few minutesof being immersed in something so powerful we couldnt quite tell whether we were having fun or terrified.
This picture comes to mind when, as in Psalm 107, Scripture compares Gods restoration to a barren wilderness transformed into pools of water (v. 35). Because the kind of storm that transforms a desert into an oasis isnt a gentle showerits a downpour, flooding every crack of parched ground with new life.
And isnt that the kind of restoration we long for? When our stories feel like tales of aimless wandering because we are hungry and thirstystarvingfor healing that never seems to arrive (vv. 45), we need more than a bit of hope. And when deep-rooted patterns of sin leave us trapped in utter darkness (vv. 1011), our hearts need more than a little change.
Thats exactly the kind of transformation our God can bring (v. 20). Its never too late to bring our fears and shame to the One whos more than able to break our chains and flood our darkness with His light (vv. 1314).
INSIGHT
Following Christ gives us a hope that is both present and future. Paul said, If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19). This present/future hoperooted in Jesuss resurrectionreminds us that whether today is good or bad, we have confidence in Him for a better day to come.