From the Home Place

January 26, 2026

It was well below zero when we went to bed last night, and now it is 4 above at 5 a.m. This is to be one of those days that the temperature and the wind speed match, both pushing 40.

For the last two days I have shared with you about a storm we went through back in ’63. It was a tough one, but this country has seen worse. The best thing about that storm was that when it finally broke, we had a batch of warm air trail in behind it, melting much of the snow, giving the ‘ol girls a dry plain to lay down once again.

Yesterday, I was blessed to get to preach at a neighboring church here in Lusk. During the message I spoke of how we all go through tough times in our lives. Usually, when a friend or a family member is walking through a storm, our natural reaction is to attempt to rescue that person from some of the pain. Yet years ago, the Holy Spirit taught me that too often we folks with our good intentions often get in His way of using trials to bring about needed changes within the lives of His people.

It is good to come alongside of folks who are in a storm, but those folks need the real Savior, someone none of us can ever be. We can be their friend, their prayer partner, even one to share wisdom with them, but we should be very careful when it comes to giving advice, for His ways are much higher than our ways.

Remember when Peter tried to walk on water? It wasn’t on a bright sunshiny day that Peter walked toward Jesus, it was during a raging storm. God allows storms to brew up in our lives so that we too will, by faith walk toward Jesus. Note, Jesus rescued Pete after Peter shouted, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:30; Then in verse 31 we read, “immediately Jesus stretched our His hand and took hold of him.” You see my friends, Jesus came to His disciples during the storm, not during the calm.

It seems to me that we too often attempt to be the rescuer when others we care about are in the middle of a storm, but there is really only one Savior and none of us are Him! Usually when someone is in a storm, they ask the question of “Why?” “Why is this happening?” “Why is God doing this to me?” “Why, why, why?” Instead, we need to ask the question “What?” “God, what are You trying to teach me about Yourself or myself during this storm?

Just as I can look back at the storm of ’63 and see God’s hand in it, He wants to use all storm to help us see Him as our Savior during the storm. When that really happens, we should be like those first disciples after Jesus calmed the storm, they worshiped Him. And we are to do the same.

No, I am not saying that God is the engineer of every storm that comes into our lives, Satan often has a hand in causing a storm to hit. But I am saying that God can use those storms to help us realize our need of a Savior.

If you have never come to the point of life where you said, “Lord, save me!” then don’t be surprised if there is a storm brewing on the horizon of your life. Just remember, every storm gives us the opportunity to look for the hand of Jesus, or to get mad and fight our way through the storm. Only one of those options provides peace and security, it’s your choice.

Learning from the storms of life with you, Neal