As we read the story of Jesus in the midst of the storm with the boys this morning, it really resonated with the current events we facing globally. For the most part our storms are usually confined to our personal situation or sometimes our own neck of the woods, region or country. Seldom does “the storm” get to pandemic proportions like it has with this virus.
Like it or not, we are all in the midst of this in our own little corners of the world. Some days it feels so tangible and other days it feels like we can’t really really grasp the gravity some other hotspots are experiencing right now. We pray, we hunker down like we’ve been advised to, we try to keep a sense of normalcy. It’s a balancing act of being prepared without being paranoid. The balance of staying informed with how it’s affecting us all in this world and what new guidelines to follow, yet not succumbing to fear.
At this point, I’d think its safe to say that this 2020 storm is in the big leagues.
But Jesus.
The storm wasn’t too big for Jesus.
It’s not just a Christian cliche. It’s a truth that we need to be purposeful in settling our hearts into in times like these.
Jesus is the storm “tamer”.
He may not calm this storm as quickly as we’d like. He may just calm the storm in us as He sits with us in our little individual boats called home and weathers the Corona storm by our side.
I’m not suggesting that God causes these storms to happen. But He certainly does use them to draw us in. And draw us out. Because as we all know too well, a storm like this will reveal where our priorities lie. Where our trust lies.
But when storms like these unveil our vulnerability, and they will, it is not to leave us feeling flawed, naked, scared and alone. They’re intended to point us to the only One who can actually change things. And most importantly, ground us in His peace.
They’re meant to increase our confidence in His goodness.
To broaden the scope of our trust.
To sharpen the edges of our faith.
They’re meant to help us lean more into sincere and honest worship and help revive our prayers with a fresh passion and purpose.
Do we keep praying for a resolution? Yes. We do.
Do we loose heart if it takes awhile? No.
Because no storm will be wasted on us.
Every storm we weather together with Him just adds more weight to the resume of His faithfulness.
I wonder if the disciples would have encountered that storm if Jesus hadn’t been on the boat? I think so. Whether Jesus was in the boat or not didn’t change the reality of the storm, but it did change the outcome.
*“The wind and the waves recognized Jesus’ voice. (They had heard it before, of course-it was the same voice that made them , in the very beginning.) They listened to Jesus and did what He said.
Immediately the wind stopped. The water calmed down. It glittered innocently in the moonlight as if nothing had happened….Then Jesus turned to His wind-torn friends.
‘ Why were you scared? he asked. ‘Did you forget who I Am? Did you believe your fears instead of me?’”
Truth is, God sees storms differently than we do. His vantage point is so beyond our understanding. Makes sense that we trust the One who knows how this will all unfold and resolve, and most importantly the God who will see us through all of it.
I woke up with this song in my head this morning. Its a song I haven’t heard in years, but it resides in the archives of heart songs that have belonged to seasons that required a shift of focus off of my circumstances to a Beautiful, Loving and Amazing God. May it Bless you as well as you fix your gaze on WHO is in the boat with you in this season.
Peace out.
*The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.