Storm Friends

This week I had the fun of reviewing my friend Cheryl Ricker’s new book A Friend in the Storm. It’s a gift book of poetry, quotes, and Scripture written for people going through a difficult time. Some of the poems are heartfelt words from a hurting person to God, but must are God's words to a soul that is troubled or in pain. While I know that Cheryl originally wrote the poems for a friend who was dying of cancer, they ministered to me as I dealt with a very different kind of life storm. So in a way she became a friend in the storm to me.

Who have your friends in the storm been? You know, those friends that God sent to be there through heartbreaking, disappointments, illness, or grief. When has Jesus been the only friend you had? How did He use that season (which probably started out feeling extremely lonely) to draw you so close to Himself that He became all you needed?

Thank God today for the gift of those storm friends, knowing that it takes a special kind of person to shoulder our tears, daily phone calls, and heavy loads of need. Thank Him also for those times when it seemed like you had no one to share your burden with, until He surrounded you with His presence and became the best friend you could ever have.

If you are in the midst of a storm right now, or know someone who is going through a rough time, check out Cheryl Ricker’s A Friend in the Storm.