Trials are peculiar things. In Romans 8, Paul—inspired by God—compared them to birth-pains. An apt verisimilitude, to be sure. A different image resonates with me—storms. More precisely, the music made by storms.
It is true that every disturbance in our lives has music to play, a symphony of concordant sounds that recur in refrains throughout the rest of our lives. The problem with storm-music, though, is that we have to wait until after the diminuendo of the squall to hear it play, sometimes we have to wait longer than we’d like.
An example of waiting for the music on a continental scale can be found in meteorological history. Scientists tell us that Western Europe experienced a very cold climate between 1560 and 1850. The colder weather brought dire consequences to agriculture, health, economics, emigration, and even art and literature. This meteorological disaster helped bring about the Black Death, which killed 100—200 million people.
Yet amidst the dirge of all the bad brought by the Little Ice Age, God brought some good to mankind. Researchers now believe that the wood stringed instruments of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Stradivarius violins, derive their extraordinary sound from the cold-hardened timber produced by that the weather of that period. (link to article)
Armed with these instruments, composers such as Vivaldi crafted masterpieces that have inspired humanity for hundreds of years. Is it coincidence that so much of the music composed in those days draws its inspiration from the natural world? Consider this short and very incomplete list of works: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (my favorite is Summer Tempest), Bach’s Pastorals, Blue Danube, and Handel’s Water Music.
I’m not saying that the death of 100 million people was worth a few great pieces of music. Not at all. My point is that God brings good things from bad. Paul explains it this way,
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, ESV)
Please notice that Paul did not say that all things are good. Is it good when someone gets sick? No. Is it good when someone loses a job or goes broke? Absolutely not. Malignancy, foreclosure, divorce, death—all of these things are bad, and God would not call them good. But He takes these discordant noises in our lives and orchestrates them into melodious intermezzos, such as . . .
endurance,
character,
hope,
love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control
FAITH
The tempests that produce music are unpleasant, even painful. They double us over in agony, put tears in our eyes, drive us to our knees, perhaps even to the brink of madness. But isn’t this music worth waiting for? Oh yes, it is always worth it, because it does more than simply edify us the way a Vivaldi or Handel piece does. Rather, it transforms us into the image of the One who composed every fiber of our beings; it produces in our souls the sound waves that resonate with godly character.
I think Job would agree with this idea. In fact, his story reveals that the colder the winter, the deeper the timbre it infuses into our voices. Job was struck down with dark and violent shakes: he lost his loved ones, his wealth, and his health. Three friends showed up to “comfort” him, and they ended up arguing with him for some 30-odd chapters. After that, God gave Job a message. Interestingly, He spoke to him out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1). Job responded by silencing himself, recognizing that God’s wisdom—even in allowing bad things to happen to good people—is far greater than anything Job could possibly ever grasp. In other words, Job walked away from his Katrina with humility and an unshakable faith in a loving God, a greatly deepened voice with which to sing of God’s goodness to a world that might question His goodness.
Is a storm blasting its way through your life right now? Are you still sifting through the wreckage left by the last one that blew through? If so, I encourage you to take your attention off the cacophonous howling of your fears and the incessant wailing of your current discontent. Instead, fix your trust on the Great Composer. Listen to this advice from Moses, given to the Israelites as they stood on the shore of the Red Sea with a deadly army bearing down on them, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13—14, NIV). Why not quote this verse to yourself when you face troubles? Just replace “Egyptians” with “problems.”
The Bible offers similar advice for times when “the earth gives way” and “the mountains tremble” (Pslams 46:2—3, ESV). “Be still,” the Lord says, “and know that I am God” (v. 10).
My favorite word in Scripture is for those who weather the storms well. When Boaz heard of all the good that Ruth had done for her mother-in-law Naomi, he offers this word on her behalf, “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:12, ESV).
Dearest fellow storm-weatherers, wait and see what the Lord will do. Be still and know that He is God. And may God repay you for the good you do when the gales blow. And may his mighty wings spread over you when it is time for the storms to fade. And may the music play! May it play a long and melodious tune in your hearts and minds, and may it recur like a chorus, returning to bless you time and again until we meet on that glorious day when the music will begin and have no end.
It is true that every disturbance in our lives has music to play, a symphony of concordant sounds that recur in refrains throughout the rest of our lives. The problem with storm-music, though, is that we have to wait until after the diminuendo of the squall to hear it play, sometimes we have to wait longer than we’d like.
An example of waiting for the music on a continental scale can be found in meteorological history. Scientists tell us that Western Europe experienced a very cold climate between 1560 and 1850. The colder weather brought dire consequences to agriculture, health, economics, emigration, and even art and literature. This meteorological disaster helped bring about the Black Death, which killed 100—200 million people.
Yet amidst the dirge of all the bad brought by the Little Ice Age, God brought some good to mankind. Researchers now believe that the wood stringed instruments of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Stradivarius violins, derive their extraordinary sound from the cold-hardened timber produced by that the weather of that period. (link to article)
Armed with these instruments, composers such as Vivaldi crafted masterpieces that have inspired humanity for hundreds of years. Is it coincidence that so much of the music composed in those days draws its inspiration from the natural world? Consider this short and very incomplete list of works: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (my favorite is Summer Tempest), Bach’s Pastorals, Blue Danube, and Handel’s Water Music.
I’m not saying that the death of 100 million people was worth a few great pieces of music. Not at all. My point is that God brings good things from bad. Paul explains it this way,
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, ESV)
Please notice that Paul did not say that all things are good. Is it good when someone gets sick? No. Is it good when someone loses a job or goes broke? Absolutely not. Malignancy, foreclosure, divorce, death—all of these things are bad, and God would not call them good. But He takes these discordant noises in our lives and orchestrates them into melodious intermezzos, such as . . .
endurance,
character,
hope,
love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control
FAITH
The tempests that produce music are unpleasant, even painful. They double us over in agony, put tears in our eyes, drive us to our knees, perhaps even to the brink of madness. But isn’t this music worth waiting for? Oh yes, it is always worth it, because it does more than simply edify us the way a Vivaldi or Handel piece does. Rather, it transforms us into the image of the One who composed every fiber of our beings; it produces in our souls the sound waves that resonate with godly character.
I think Job would agree with this idea. In fact, his story reveals that the colder the winter, the deeper the timbre it infuses into our voices. Job was struck down with dark and violent shakes: he lost his loved ones, his wealth, and his health. Three friends showed up to “comfort” him, and they ended up arguing with him for some 30-odd chapters. After that, God gave Job a message. Interestingly, He spoke to him out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1). Job responded by silencing himself, recognizing that God’s wisdom—even in allowing bad things to happen to good people—is far greater than anything Job could possibly ever grasp. In other words, Job walked away from his Katrina with humility and an unshakable faith in a loving God, a greatly deepened voice with which to sing of God’s goodness to a world that might question His goodness.
Is a storm blasting its way through your life right now? Are you still sifting through the wreckage left by the last one that blew through? If so, I encourage you to take your attention off the cacophonous howling of your fears and the incessant wailing of your current discontent. Instead, fix your trust on the Great Composer. Listen to this advice from Moses, given to the Israelites as they stood on the shore of the Red Sea with a deadly army bearing down on them, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13—14, NIV). Why not quote this verse to yourself when you face troubles? Just replace “Egyptians” with “problems.”
The Bible offers similar advice for times when “the earth gives way” and “the mountains tremble” (Pslams 46:2—3, ESV). “Be still,” the Lord says, “and know that I am God” (v. 10).
My favorite word in Scripture is for those who weather the storms well. When Boaz heard of all the good that Ruth had done for her mother-in-law Naomi, he offers this word on her behalf, “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:12, ESV).
Dearest fellow storm-weatherers, wait and see what the Lord will do. Be still and know that He is God. And may God repay you for the good you do when the gales blow. And may his mighty wings spread over you when it is time for the storms to fade. And may the music play! May it play a long and melodious tune in your hearts and minds, and may it recur like a chorus, returning to bless you time and again until we meet on that glorious day when the music will begin and have no end.