“. . . like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds . . . (with) clear shining after rain.” — 2 Samuel 23:4

North Alabama welcomed a new day this morning after yesterday’s storm. With forecasts predicting flooding and high winds from a tropical weather event, we hunkered down Friday night, on edge yet praying for the best.

At dinner, we prayed for all those who would have to show up for work and those with funerals and weddings planned for this autumn Saturday. But thanks be to God, we awoke to gentle but constant rain and moderate winds.

This day’s new mercies, in the form of blue skies and friendly, scattered clouds, remind me of a few lines from William Cowper’s 1773 hymn, God Moves in a Mysterious Way:

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Don’t you find that we DO dread certain future events? Medical procedures, travel, and difficult conversations often have us meditating on the worst possible outcome.

As I write this, the infant daughter of a former student of mine is battling bacterial meningitis. This morning, scans showed damage to her brain. I can only imagine what her parents and grandparents are struggling to understand.

I don’t pretend to understand why God allows such suffering, especially in the life of a helpless baby. Yet I cling to what Scripture tells me: His mercies are new every morning. He is sovereign, and He is good—even when His purposes remain hidden from us.

I can’t resist sharing another verse from Cowper’s hymn:

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

The storm that just passed reinforced once more that I don’t control much. Just my response, in reality. But that is a relief, because our times are in God’s capable and loving hands.