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A few years ago, before flying out to a theme park with some of my family, we checked the weather. Rain was forecasted for the first day, so we adjusted. We brought umbrellas and raincoats, and I even wore my rain boots to the airport.

It’s our habit to hit the ground running, so as soon as we got to our hotel, we dropped off our luggage and went to the park. The weather didn’t dampen our plans. We put on raincoats, carried umbrellas, and splashed through puddles. We kept going despite the conditions and even did more than we expected because the crowd had thinned. The rain gear didn’t change the weather, it just allowed us to move through our day without being stopped by it. We decided to focus more on what we wanted to do and less on the weather. Watching our group adjust rather than stop is one of my favorite memories of that trip.

Has a storm ever threatened to stop? It’s happened to me many times. Rejection, job losses, sickness, grief, and fear are some of the names of the storms I’ve experienced, and Isaiah 61 taught me what to wear during each of them. “Put on a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

I’m not going to give in to despair, discouragement or hopelessness. Praising God in the middle of the storm changes my focus and keeps my eyes on the One Who is faithful. The situation may not change immediately, but staying wrapped in a coat of worship helps me to move through the circumstances without being stopped by them.

 

Ronny Michel can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.