I Am the Storm

Listen to “I Am the Storm,” a song by Hilary Weeks, and read about Hilary’s connection with Christ.

The Strength

When we connect with Christ, He gives us strength. Isn’t that a beautiful, comforting thought? Strength, inner peace, and confidence are the constant result of a solid, strong relationship with the Savior.

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you,” Christ tells us (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63). And as He draws near to us, He works through us.

Joshua felt that strength. After the translation of Moses, Joshua was to become the leader of the Israelites (see Alma 45:19 and Deuteronomy 34:9). Those were some big shoes to fill, taking over from Moses—the prophet who led the Israelites out of captivity, parted the Red Sea, and brought the people the Ten Commandments! Moses has led the people to and through so many miracles.

But the thing of it is—at the core of all the miraculous events was God. Moses didn’t know how to make water retreat. He didn’t know how to turn a staff into a serpent. That was God working through Moses. And He would work through Joshua, too.

Four times God told Joshua to “be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18). If Joshua did his best to be courageous, strong, and trusting, God would give Joshua the ability to lead the people.

Same goes for us. We don’t know how to part the stormy seas of our lives—but God does. He can and will work through us to make miracles happen, not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of others. Our job is the same as Joshua’s: be strong and of a good courage.

I wonder if “good” courage implies Godly courage? The kind of courage that isn’t built on one’s self, but on one’s sacrifice. Strength that looks up at God and out at others rather than in at ourselves.

The Storm

When we have the strength of Christ, we can face all our challenges. A quote, sent to me by my friend Kris Belcher about a year before she passed away, powerfully shows this concept:

Today the devil whispered in my ear, “You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.”

I whispered in the devil’s ear, “I am a child of God, a person of faith, a warrior of Christ. I am the storm.”

You may have heard a variation of that saying before—but it was the first time for me. It reached to my core. It spoke to me, and I recognized the concept as pure truth.

When we remember who we are and Whose we are, the adversary cannot conquer. His power is diminished when our power is the Lord.

The Song

“You should write a song about this,” Kris told me when she sent me the quote.

I felt a little like Joshua of old: overwhelmed at the idea of doing something that felt much bigger than my songwriting skills would allow.

But a hint of courage made its way through the doubts in my heart. I knew I wanted to write that song, and I knew it would be powerful. So I jumped in with both feet. (Or fingers, as it were, because I write most of my songs using the piano.)

Recognizing my limitations, I called a talented songwriting friend, and we began to write. It took a few weeks to craft the lyrics and melodies. I made final tweaks and changings just days before we recorded this powerful song, inspired by a powerful truth.

God is our strength. Christ is our Rock and Redeemer. Any and every storm we get through is because of Their grace and love.

I have included a link to the song “I Am the Storm” for you to listen to. May it give you reassurance of your strength, and of the source of all of our strength—our connection with the Savior.