A Psalm After the Storm
O God, my King,
Great King of the universe,
I lift my tired voice to You this morning.
I thank You for the rain that fell from the heavens,
for the ground that drank deeply,
for the trees and fields refreshed by Your hand.
And I thank You, my King,
that through the powerful storms of the night,
You kept us all safe.
The thunder shook the house.
The lightning flashed through the windows.
The winds bent the trees,
and the rain was driven hard against the walls.
Yet You were with us.
Everyone I love is safe.
Our homes are standing.
Our roofs are intact.
Our rooms are dry.
And my heart remembers Your faithfulness.
For even in the roaring of the storm,
I trusted You.
Not because I am strong,
not because I am without fear,
not because my flesh does not grow weary,
but because You are faithful.
You walk with Your people in the storm.
And even if damage had come,
even if loss had entered our gates,
even then, You would have walked with us there.
This morning the storm has passed.
The world is quiet and calm.
The clouds are still gray,
and the sun has not yet shown its face.
But Your faithfulness is here.
I feel it in the stillness.
I see it in what remains.
I know it in the shelter of Your covenant love.
This is how You are
in the storms of life as well.
You do not abandon.
You do not forget.
You do not loosen Your hand
from those who call upon Your name.
You are faithful to Your covenant.
You are righteous in all Your ways.
You hold me according to Your steadfast love,
not according to my frailty,
not according to my fear,
not according to my faults.
And because of this,
I trust Your love for me.
Your love is not thin like the strength of man.
It is not here today and gone tomorrow.
It is covenantal love,
faithful love,
the love of the King who keeps His word.
So I praise You, O God.
I glorify You, my King.
I bless Your name in the quiet after the storm.
You have given much.
You have done much.
You have kept us through the night.
And when the thunder roars again,
when the lightning flashes,
when the wind drives the rain against our dwelling,
I will call upon You again.
Walk with me, my King.
Walk with my family.
Walk with all whom I love.
And even more,
when the storms of life rise around me,
when my heart trembles,
when the way ahead is dark,
I will call upon You there too.
For You are faithful.
You are near.
You are my God and my King.
And I live in Your Kingdom.
Blessed be the Great King of the universe,
who shelters His people,
who walks with them through the storm,
and whose covenant love endures forever.