In the Midst of the Storm
These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might
have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I
have overcome the world. John 16:32-33
Monday
was a long day. I was making visits for work and MapQuest had failed me more
than once. People in rural West Texas give directions like, “Find the Atmos
building and go 3 miles till you come to a red fence. The mailbox has cow horns
on it. You can’t miss it.” Believe me, I can too miss it! It was a little over
an hour’s drive home and I was tired. I had friend riding with me so she could
navigate. The clouds started to look a little dark. The further we drove toward
home the darker they got, and I noticed the wind picking up. Finally, we
reached a spot where there were dark, ominous clouds on one side of the car and
bright sunshine on the other. We went around a curve and got a few misty
sprinkles, so I turned on the wipers. Within a few seconds it was raining
heavily and I listened to the wipers. Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, thunk.
I looked out my rain streaked driver’s window to see my wiper dangling off the
windshield. I couldn’t reach it to get it back on track, so my friend got out
of the car. The wind whipped her hair and clothes as she wrestled the wiper
into place. She got back in and we took off, but in just a few moments it was
raining too hard to see the road. We pulled off on the shoulder, such as it
was. No sooner had we parked than hail peppered the car and wind gusts rocked
it back and forth. I would like to tell you that I realized the power and
sovereignty of God, but the truth is it scared the willies out of me. When we
could hear over the storm we called and texted our families to let them know we
were stuck but unharmed. When we were
able to go again we drove slowly for the last ten miles into town. She laughed
and asked if I could pry my hands off the steering wheel. I was never so glad
to see town in my life.
Are you
going through a storm in your life? If not you probably have recently or are
about to. How do you cope when you’re in the middle of a storm? Some people
rage and rant at the unfairness of the storm, but that doesn’t make it go away.
Some people are like me and try to isolate so they won’t bother anyone, but
that doesn’t help either. Remember the story of the disciples in the storm? The
Bible tells us in Matthew 8 that they were on the lake in a boat. I was not
happy being in a little car in the rain, wind and hail. I can not imaging being
in a boat! They were just like us. Some of them ranted and some tried to hide
while shivering in their sandals. Do you remember what Jesus was doing? He was
asleep in the boat. “Lord,” they said, “Don’t you care that we are about to
drown?” He got up and spoke to the wind and the waves. “Peace. Be still”
Immediately the wind stopped and the waves died down. Then he looked at the
disciples and says, “Oh you of little faith, Why were you so afraid. .”
Jesus is with us in the literal and spiritual
storms in our lives. Sometimes I may be going through something that seems huge
to me, but Jesus is asleep in my boat. This is not because he doesn’t care, but
because he is so completely in control. Some of my storms last a lot longer than
I want and I am ready for Jesus to hurry up and speak to the waves, but he does
it in His time and he is with me in the boat in the meantime. The psalms tell
of the privilege of hiding in God and resting in Him. Psalms 46 and 84 in
particular encourage us to be still and know the safety of being with God.
Isaiah 30:15 says in quietness and trust shall be your strength. When you go
through storms try to rest in Jesus. It is harder than it sounds and takes a
conscious decision, but it will get you through till you see the end of the
journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment