READ: JAMES 1:2-5; ROMANS 8:28-39

BOOM! Thunder crashes. Lightning illuminates the house as the walls shake and dishes rattle in the cupboards, followed by an even louder thunderclap.

I grew up in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona. Most of the year, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. But during monsoon season, the rain came with a vengeance. Streets flooded, dry washes became roaring rivers, trees were ripped up, yards washed out, and cars were stranded in floodwaters.

It might sound terrifying. But I’ve never seen it that way. As a kid, I loved to go out after it rained, jump in the puddles, and throw leaves in the streams running down the street. As I got older, I loved the smell of creosote that always came before the rain. Even now, I love the awe of the power of the storm.

But I don’t just appreciate monsoons. I also understand why we need them. Though the Sonoran Desert is indeed a desert, it’s filled with beautiful cacti, flowers, and creatures who need rain to survive. The raindrops pelt the dust, cooling the scorching ground and creating streams from which to drink. The storm seems scary, but the desert is far more beautiful after it.

Many people compare trials in the Christian life to storms. They talk about weathering the storm and making it to the other side. But I think sometimes we forget that God is working through the storm. If everything was always sunny, we would never grow, just like the desert plants.

Storms are hard. Things get pelted, uprooted, destroyed. But if we weather the storms from inside the safety of God’s love, remembering that Jesus endured the unsafety of the cross because He cares so deeply for us, we can begin to appreciate the storms’ beauty. And after they pass, we can praise Him for the life and growth they bring. • Alyssa Roat

• What storms have you gone through? What growth has God produced in you through them?

• What storms are you going through right now? We can have hope in every storm because Jesus was willing to die on the cross for us, and then He rose from the grave. Our hope is twofold: (1) our suffering will not last forever because Jesus will return and make all things new,and (2) even when we suffer, He is with us—He loves us, and He truly understands what we’re going through because He suffered for us. Consider taking some time to talk to Him about the storms in your life. (If you want to dig deeper, read Genesis 50:20; Isaiah 53; Philippians 1:19; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 1:3-9; Revelation 21:1-5.)

The LORD is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; he cares for those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7 (CSB)