After the recent rains, it has been such a blessing to see the beautiful sunshine of the last few days. The next morning after the rain stopped, I stood on the deck looking out over my back yard, breathing in the crisp air and the beauty and tenderness of God’s freshly watered earth. He had worked wonders with my petunias that had been wilting just a few days ago. Now they were bursting with yellow blooms lifting their faces to the sky worshiping the One who sent the rain.

God has a reason for the rain, just like He has a reason for the storms in our lives. The rains are going to come. It is not a matter of ‘if’, but a matter of ‘when’.

For 5 years, one of those storms has battered my life. Due to the trauma of my breast cancer surgeries, I have struggled with horrific pain daily because my sympathetic nervous system has gone haywire. Although the pain is in many areas of my body, the majority of it has centered in my neck. It is called RSD and there is no cure.

Because of this severe pain, at first I was not been able to sleep at night. I finally gave in to my doctor’s decision five years ago that I should start taking a sleeping pill. I have read terrible things about this pill, and several months ago I decided to ween my body off it. There were many sleepless nights as my body relearned how to fall asleep as I lessened and lessened the dosage.

Then it happened. About three weeks ago, God worked His miracle in my life when I woke up the first morning without any of the pill. My body’s addiction to the pill was broken. Further, my neck was not hurting. Five years of constant pain in that area was gone, and it has not hurt since. I have no words to describe how amazing this is or how grateful I am that God has answered my prayers and the prayers of others for years that my pain would get better. For those who have prayed, my biggest thank you!!

My doctors are surprised and have no explanation as the medicine could not have caused the pain. I also was able to discontinue my cancer drug in May of this year as I celebrated five years being cancer free. That’s a whole other praise for God’s healing in my life. Again, I am thankful to those who have prayed.

The doctors think maybe being off the cancer drug could have contributed to my neck pain stopping. Whatever it was, I know it was God. The rain has stopped. He brought me through that storm and I am still pinching myself as I breath in the crisp air and the beauty and tenderness of His fresh miracle in my life.

Although it is still so fresh, I look back now and I see the joy of that pain. As my son, Bradley, loves to say. “You can’t have rainbows without the rain.” I see how God carried me through each minute of it, day after day for five years. He has built my testimony. He has taught me lessons in compassion and patience that can never be taken away from me. He has drawn me closer to Him as I have sought shelter from the storm in His arms. I trusted Him and He answered my prayer. My faith has grown.

One minute we are in the dark night of the storm, the next we are standing in the bright morning of His blessing. After the rain, we can look to the sky as the clouds give way to the light of the Son. His mercies are new every morning, and great is His faithfulness.

Whatever storm you are in, please know that you are not alone. The Lord can shelter you and protect you while He carries you through. Then in his time, the morning will come … after the rain.

Dear Lord: Thank You that You answer prayers. You hold us and carry us through the storms when we seek the shelter of Your arms. You are always there. Help us to know that the storm is for a purpose. Even the roughest waters cleanse. May You wash away our pain, our struggles and anything that separates us from You. Help us to cling more tightly to You, our Shelter and our Refuge. Please bless those that are reading this today. Please bring them safely through the storms they are facing today and give them the joy of a new rainless sunshiny morning. Amen

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:22-24

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:25

“Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.” Isaiah 45:8

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost today. Please share your thoughts and experiences through the rain by replying below. May God always bless you and carry you through every storm in your life.