After a storm comes a calm.

Hear, O weary soul, the timeless words of Matthew Henry, the English minister and commentator of sacred scripture: “After a storm comes a calm.” These words, though simple, are wrapped in the wisdom of nature and the spirit alike. They remind us that sorrow and strife are not eternal, that fury and trial do not reign forever, but that peace follows suffering as surely as dawn follows the darkest night.

To endure the storm is the lot of all mankind. Storms come as grief, as loss, as failure, as conflict. They shake the foundations of our lives, threaten to drown our hope, and leave us trembling in uncertainty. Yet Henry, who lived through days of religious strife and personal hardship, looked to the heavens and found this truth: storms, though fierce, are temporary. They must spend their fury and then yield to stillness. So it is with life—the troubles that rage around us will one day fall silent.

To await the calm is an act of faith and endurance. The sailor, tossed by waves, clings to the mast because he knows the sea cannot rage forever. The farmer, watching the skies thunder over his field, waits because he knows the sun will return. In the same way, the heart that trusts holds fast in the storm, knowing that calm will follow. This is not mere optimism, but a law woven into the rhythm of creation: upheaval and peace, sorrow and joy, storm and calm.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela. For twenty-seven years he endured the storm of imprisonment, the howling winds of injustice, and the cold of isolation. Many thought he would perish in that storm. Yet he endured, and when the tempest of apartheid spent its fury, he stepped forth into the calm of freedom—not only for himself, but for his people. His life stands as living proof of Henry’s words: after a storm comes a calm, if one has the courage to endure.

So too in the quiet struggles of everyday life. The grieving parent who buries a child, the worker who loses all in hardship, the exile who leaves behind home and kin—each walks through storms that seem endless. Yet in time, the heart learns to breathe again, new hope arises, and the calm comes softly, like sunlight breaking through clouds. Though the scars remain, peace finds its way, and the soul learns that no storm lasts forever.

The meaning is plain: despair is never the final word. The storm may be fierce, but it is not eternal. Patience, endurance, and faith carry us through the trial into the peace beyond. If we surrender to fear, we drown in the storm; but if we endure, we shall stand in the calm, stronger than before, seasoned by suffering and ready for what lies ahead.

O listener, take this lesson to heart: when storms strike your life, hold fast. Do not believe they will last forever. Anchor yourself in faith, in hope, in endurance. Speak to your soul: “This storm too shall pass. The calm is coming.” And when the calm arrives, as it surely will, treasure it, rest in it, and prepare for the next trial with renewed strength.

Thus the wisdom of Matthew Henry endures: “After a storm comes a calm.” Let this be your comfort in suffering and your counsel in despair. For the storms of life, however violent, are but passing shadows—and beyond them always waits the light of peace.