I heard a story about a train traveling through the night in a very violent rainstorm. The lightning flashes were almost blinding, the rain hitting the windows was deafening and the strong gust winds rocked the train from side to side. When the lightening flashed and lighted up the darkness, the passengers could see the rising water along the tracks. This created terror in the minds of the passengers. Several passengers noted that through all the noise, lightening and wind, one of the passengers, a little girl, seemed to be at perfect peace...
Nobody understood the reaction of that little girl.
When the storms hit your life... if you don’t panic, they won’t understand you either. After all... aren’t we supposed to shake our fists at God...wondering where He is or why He hasn’t done something to improve our situation? Aren’t we supposed to be scared of the lightning... cover our ears when it thunders... or run from the rising waters? Aren’t we supposed to be terrified of what may happen?
Supposed to? No. Do we do it anyway? Sometimes.
If you’re a Christian, when your life gets rocked... does your reaction look any different than those that don’t know Christ? Fear. Panic. Worry. Doubt. Darkness. Hopeless. Helpless. Maybe God isn’t enough. Maybe I can’t do it. Maybe I’ve put my faith in God when it should have been faith in myself. The devil will convince you that this is normal. He’ll tell you that everybody falls apart when things come unglued. After all, if God were even paying attention, He would have prevented the storm...
...right?
Let’s keep reading the story...
The adult passengers couldn’t figure out why the little girl was so calm during all this excitement. Finally, one passenger asked her, “How is that you can be so calm when all the rest of us are so worried about what might or could happen?” The little passenger smiled and said, “My father is the engineer.”
Her Father is the Engineer...and she wasn’t talking about the guy in the front car. It wasn’t the guy shoveling coal into the engine... or the one pulling the whistle at the intersections. Her Father created those guys. And He died so that they could live eternally. Your Heavenly Father runs things too.
He knows the track ahead and He knows what you’ve already passed. He knows how fast to go and the perfect time to get where you are going. He knows when it’s time to put on the brakes and when it’s time to stop entirely.
He has been down the tracks before...and He reminds us of it in His Word (emphasis mine):
“But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.” Psalm 146:5-6
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33
God has been there. Felt it. Seen it. Been hurt by it. Understands it. Is not surprised by it. Cares about it. And has overcome it.
If you are a Christian, the One who drives the train of your life cannot be derailed, defeated, or destroyed. He’ll never be surprised by circumstances or overwhelmed by the odds. Jesus Christ willingly sacrificed the flesh He was bridled with so that you could live boldly... unafraid of the temporary and rejoicing in the eternal. You were meant to see the world’s typical reaction to the unknown and refuse to blend in with those that have little faith. No, you don’t have to quake and worry.... and just like that little girl, you know one VERY important fact that some others don’t:
Storms will come, but your Dad is the engineer.
You are in good hands.
Strong, loving, pierced hands.
