Into the Stormഉദാഹരണം

The Silver Lining

I’m sure you are familiar with this well-known saying: “Every cloud has a silver lining.” The silver lining is the thin glow of light that appears when a dark cloud is backlit by the sun. It is visible proof that light exists somewhere beyond the gloom, that the sun is still shining even if it is currently obscured by the clouds. The same is true for the storm clouds of life. No matter how dark and stormy they may be, there is a silver lining. This is not just blind optimism, and I am by no means saying this to minimize or dismiss the very real pain and hardships you may be experiencing right now. Jesus did not mince His words in John 16:33 when He said, “In this world you will have trouble” (NIV). We live in a fallen and broken world. Therefore, things will threaten to break us, overwhelm us, and take us out. But a day is coming when the wind will die down and the rain will give way to blue skies, when the pain will fade and the hurt will not haunt us anymore. Our suffering will eventually come to end, either on this side of heaven or the next. No matter how big, dark, and terrifying the storm, it cannot and will not last forever.

In Romans 8, Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18 NIV). And then in 2 Corinthians, he also wrote, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV).

First, let me say that to most of us who find ourselves currently in a storm, these verses can seem almost insulting. Nothing about my troubles feels “light and momentary.” If Paul were to say this to me personally, I would be much more inclined to argue with him than amen him. However, the frustrating nature of these statements does not change their validity. The storm cloud is, in fact, nothing compared to the sun. One is a constant that has spanned countless millennia while the other is a momentary weather front. I fully understand how the storms of life can seem all‑encompassing and far too long‑lasting, but an eternal peace exists beyond this fleeting forecast of trouble. The size and scale of the two are so vastly different that they do not merit comparison. So, on the days when it hurts to hope, when the pain clouds your vision and the suffering threatens to break you, let Paul’s words remind you that what may seem like a small sliver of hope today will one day become a blinding, all‑encompassing glory that will, in turn, entirely block out the storm clouds.

The finished work of the cross has secured our future hope. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and prepares a place for those who put their faith in Him. Jesus is dead set and determined in His desire for our eternity to be with Him. Our silver lining is not just that our destination is heaven, but also that we are not alone on the journey. The power and presence of the Holy Spirit is with us here and now. Our hope is not in some far‑off future but in an ever‑present and loving God who will neither leave us nor forsake us along the way.

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We hope this plan was helpful to you. You can read more from Josh Turner in his book, Into the Storm, available here.