Part 1- Waiting for Clear Skies

When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down.

Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls

Ecclesiastes 11:3 

Last week we had some thunderstorms pass through our county. Heavy rains, hail, and damaging winds. Power lines, telephone wires, trees, and debris covered the town of Kerrville. One of my friends had a tree uproot and it fell onto the carport of their home. The storm left some without power, many without AC, and a heaping mess to clean up. I had an ongoing group text happening with some of my friends and they were getting frantic without internet access, not knowing what was coming next. I’d read the text messages, sent up a few little prayers, and then I rolled over and went to bed. 

It never even occurred to me to help out. It never really crossed my mind until the threat of the storm had fully passed a few days later. I live outside the city limits, technically in another town. The winds were really bad, but it didn’t at all hit here as badly as it did in town.  What could I do, anyhow? I didn’t have a tree-trimmer. The power companies would eventually get these folks the help they were needing. The church has a disaster relief group already on top of it. I’m 25 minutes away with two kids and limited resources. I’ll wait until it’s all over and see who needs what. I was right- pretty soon things went back to normal. It took the help of neighbors, family, friends, and outsiders to clear out what came through in those few days. When I started seeing the stories of how people banded together and worked overtime to get the city back on its- I was overjoyed. Then I wasn’t. 

See, I had faith that God would provide a solution, but I never considered myself to be a part of it. Why didn’t I respond to those text messages with the information I had on my radar? Should I have offered my home as a place to stay in the heat of the day? Why didn’t I keep someone’s food in my refrigerator so it didn’t rot? Should we have lent someone our trailer to haul off the leaves and debris they were needing to dispose of? All of the sudden, I had lists upon lists of ways I could have helped- but it wasn’t at the right moment. The opportunity had passed. 

The trees that were slain by the storm stayed on the ground until someone came and picked them up.

I see parallels in the aftermath of this storm and the storm that’s running through our country right now. I see parallels of this in my own life. I’m fervently asking God to help me move into a new understanding of how to better prepare in the future. 

I don’t think people really neglect to help others because they’re heartless. I believe we are immobilized by our pursuit of comfort and safety. Friends, we should instead heed God’s words. Clouds are heavy around us all the time and the rains don’t come. Winds blow hard on days with blue skies. The human mind will never know all that God is doing in this world, but if we keep waiting idly by, we will miss out on the biggest blessing of all- being a blessing to His people. Andy Sochor explains it this way, “So these things which are out of our control must simply be dealt with. It is pointless to worry about them and wish we could change the current conditions. We simply need to deal with these conditions as they exist.”

In our communities and in our own families, trees are falling all around us and we’re letting them stay there. In some cases, the tree falls in someone else’s yard, or in another town, or by someone else’s hand and we exempt ourselves from helping out. But what about this? When I knock someone down or blow them over with the intensity of my emotions, words, or reactions- that person will stay in that state of pain or fear until someone comes to help them back up. If my power goes out because of an unexpected argument with a coworker or a fight with my spouse, I need someone to drive to my aid and power me up once more. Oftentimes, I’m not picking up the trees that I’ve blown over. I’m not changing the bulbs I’ve burnt out. So who is? Secretly,  I’m hoping for someone else to clean up the mess that I’ve made. 

Whether you’re the storm or not. Whether the tree is in your yard or someone else’s- it’s still within your means to help out. We get stuck in the faith that God will intervene without considering that we’re a part of that healing message. 

Your house might not be spotless when God calls you to invite over a neighbor . Your bank account won’t be nice and fat when God’s calling you to be generous. He works in our weaknesses. He calls us while we’re at work, playing with the kids at home, or shuffling back and forth from place to place. He calls us when we’re too comfy and we don’t want to get out of the house, or when we just got through a difficult time. It may look like chaos to me right now, but God is moving in the midst. I’m not supposed to know where the wind takes me, I’m supposed to trust the God who made the wind. 

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.(vs4)

Next week, we’ll look at that verse more closely, but I pray we start with this: Yes, God is in control, yes God will send the rain when He wants and He’ll hold it back when He wants- but we are to be in the fields every day. Waiting for clear skies? No. Working and trusting His timing to be perfect. 

In my life, I feel God saying "where were you? I called you and you weren't there." It's time we step off the porch and get back into the fields. It'll be hot, it'll seem redundant, but I pray we whistle while we work, look to the skies for His signal, and ready ourselves for the harvest. 


Pray

Lord help us to be a people who trust in Your timing. Help us to be mindful of the trees that have fallen in our communities and within our own homes. Give us the strength to step outside our comfort and lend a hand, flip on a switch, or move some debris. You have sent your servants to do as much for us, so we only ask that You send your Holy Spirit to show us when it’s our turn. May we be ready with seed in hand for the harvest.  


Reflect

1. Think about a time when you were fallen. Perhaps someone or some situation knocked you down. Who did God send to pick you back up?

2. How have you been a strong wind or a heavy rain in someone else’s life? Have you prayed for God to help you make things right or are you waiting for clear skies?

3. When was the last time you felt God calling you to help someone? Did you answer that call? If so, how did it bless you? If not- how can God use you today?

4. Read this excerpt from the article “Wherever the Tree Falls” by Andy Sochor and answer the question below.

Even if the wind is not blowing as we would wish and even though there may be a chance of rain, work must be done. 

What are the things in your life that keep you from serving the Lord at the onset of His call? 

Do Something 

• Write down 5 immediate needs you know exist in your family or community. Pray over these needs and ask God to give you direction on how to help. In the following weeks, look back at those needs and check off one at a time as God prompts you to service.

• Write a letter to someone who has “turned your power back on” when a storm blew through in your life. Let them know what it meant to you. 

• Make a list of the things you wrote down for Reflective Question #4 and work on releasing control over those hindrances. 

Further Reading

John 4:35 Don’t you have a saying “It’s still four months until harvest?” I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They’re ripe for harvest! 

Luke 16:10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with very much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Hebrews 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 

Mark 10:17-31 Jesus’ Conversation with the Rich Man 

“Wherever the Tree Falls” by Andy Sochor 

Listen

Where You Go, I’ll Go- Brian and Jenn Johnson 

I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin