Riders on the Storm

A storm is coming into my life. I can feel it. Just like you can smell the rain that is about to fall, I can sense the change that is about to happen.

When I was a sophomore in college, I lived in North Carrick dormitory. My fifth-floor room faced due west and had an unimpeded view of the campus, the downtown and the horizon of the sky behind them. When a weather front blew in, you could see the storm coming.

Anxiety would immediately begin to set in. I had a 15-minute walk to class and no umbrella. How would I keep from becoming soaking wet? I was pretty sure my canvas backpack wasn’t waterproof either. Would my class notes be safe? How could I protect them?

As I gazed out the window at the gathering clouds and darkening sky, the beauty of the storm would seize control of my thoughts. I would watch the brilliance of the landmark Sunsphere contrast with the fury forming around it.

My habit became cranking up my roommate’s oversized 1980s stereo system and listening to “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors. The hypnotic sounds of rainfall and thunder would mix with the dancing keyboard notes before Jim Morrison hauntingly sang the last song he ever recorded.

While I sat there and enjoyed the beauty of the music and the coming storm, my anxieties faded away. I didn’t care that I would arrive at my next class dripping wet. My plans for the night would inevitably change, but it was OK. As the first drops of rain began to fall, a spirit of peace settled over the moment.

If you have never tried, take a couple minutes to click on the picture and listen to the song with your eyes closed and imagine the storm rolling in (the lyrics are just plain weird, but ignore that part). If you let your soul be calm, you can feel it, too.

My first reaction to approaching storms is to bring everything inside for protection from the strong Texas winds. I am tempted to run around making sure that after the storm everything will be the same as it was before.

But that isn’t the nature of a storm. When a season in life ends, a storm precedes the next season. As a new front brings change, it clashes violently with everything it is pushing away. It is pointless to guard against all damage. The storm only represents the larger change that comes behind it.

Christ followers should have hope that better things will come. A magnificent change requires a very great storm. We should embrace the storm, not merely seek shelter from it. We are not victims of the chaos. We should ride on the wave of change.

Like I said earlier, a storm is coming into my life. The undeniable signs are all in place. With no idea what lies ahead, it can be scary. But instead of worrying about the damage, I am trying to prepare for what is being ushered in.

In a city marked by violent hailstorms, I am not looking for shelter for the oversized truck that won’t fit into my garage. Instead, I sold it on Saturday. I don’t believe it has a place in the season that is coming.

I have released the ministry events that God faithfully sent to me every month over the past years.  As they are blown away, something new will arrive. While I wait, I am sharing these messages of hope with everyone who finds them.

I am rediscovering the same peace that settled over my soul so many years ago as I listened to music and watched the storm clouds gather. My soul has a tranquility that only God can bring.

As winds howl and lightning streaks across the sky, may I not hide from what comes. May God make me fearless. May he strengthen my faith as the old season is pushed out and days of glory stretch in front of me.

Lord, make me a Rider on the Storm.