One of my most favorite things about South Georgia is the rain.

And when it rains that good, lightning, splashes-back-on-your-shoes kind of rain, you can find me sitting on my front porch, barefoot. As the thunder crashes, I throw back my head and laugh. I look up to the sky and smile, "I hear you, Lord!"

With the beginning of my second semester at ABAC, I have found myself contemplating the questions of the future. Time clicks forward, days pass, people change, and plans are rewritten. It is absolute chaos. However, it is often in these craziest moments that I have the moments of most revelation.

"I’ve seen it in the lightning, heard it in the thunder,
And felt it in the rain;
My Lord is near me all the time,
My Lord is near me all the time."

-My Lord is Near Me All the Time

Life is a storm. How is that? Of course, God never promised us the easiest adventure. He never promised us the straightest way, the brightest clouds, or the clearest decisions. And yet, even today, the rainbows he places in the sky remind us of everything we've been given.

Here's another thing- I don't believe in coincidences. I have had way too many things happen to prove my opinion otherwise. In fact, when looking back at inspiration for this article, I looked back in my journal, and found a sentence I had written back on December 29th- almost an entire month before now.

"God's promises never change. In this, He has shown us that He will always be near. No matter the way we're feeling, God holds up His word. He knows our most innermost thoughts. He understands our needs. When it is hard for us to see His face, the Lord does not waver. He will turn to us when we cry out. In that alone, we can be certain. Look back and see all the times through which God was faithful."

Even as I sit here, putting these mere typing fingers to use, I'm not entirely sure why I've written this article the way I have. Yet I trust that through God's work, His plans will be accomplished. For His praise is like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder (Revelation 19:6). And we will praise Him in this storm.