Have you ever noticed how pleasant the weather seems after a storm has passed?

The wind has stopped and often the sun is shining. The air smells so fresh and clean. Things seem so much better after a storm.

That is often the way things are after we as individual Christians or the church as a whole go through a trial. Think of God’s servant Job for a moment. He went through some very difficult times in learning an important lesson about himself and his relationship to God. But when it was over, "the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning" (Job 42:12). Things got better for Job.

On more than one occasion things were better for the New Testament church after a challenging time.

When growth in numbers seemed to overwhelm the apostles and there was discontent in the church, the challenge was met was ordaining the first deacons. The result? "Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem" (Acts 6:7).

When Stephen was martyred, a persecution against the church in Jerusalem arose, causing the brethren to be scattered. The result? "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4).

Saul went around trying to arrest Christians, forcing them to recant. But God struck him down and converted him. The result? "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy spirit, they were multiplied" (Acts 9:31).

The same principle applies when God corrects us. In the book of Hebrews we read: "If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? . . . Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:7, 11). Things get better when we accept the correction and move on.

Have you been through a storm in your Christian life lately? Look to the future – things get better after a storm!

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!