As I write this I can hear the rumbling of thunder outside my window. The skies are a dark grey, promising rain in just a short while. The thunder sounds like a bowling alley as the ball rumbles down the lane towards its goal...the pins at the end.
I was being driven home today by the medic van, when I asked if I could play some music. It was extremely quiet and the ringing in my ears was blasting high above all the other sounds of wind, vehicles on the road, everything. I turned my phone on to Youtube and the first song that I saw was "In The Eye Of The Storm." I knew that it was not a coincidence. It was a reminder from God that He was in control of the situation, and I need only look to Him for guidance and comfort.
A lot has happened over the last few days, and I was in a lot of pain from the iron infusion cocktail that I received the day before.
Chronic illness has been a daily part of my life now for more than two decades, so you would think I would be "used to it," right? There are certain storms we are expected to go through in our lives.
Maybe you're a kid facing problems at school, like getting picked on. Or maybe you're an adult and your work is frustrating. Or maybe you lost your job and felt you could manage; now after months you're overwhelmed and depressed. I'm sure you've been in such a storm. If not right now, certainly we'll all face family problems, death and grief, an accident or illness. Such storms can blow in as unannounced visitors at any moment. The daily struggles are the first set of storms.
The second set of storms we face on the sea of life are the storms of doubt! I've been down this road a lot. I've been tempted to think God doesn't care, that He must be unaware. If He does know about my storms, He's distant and cold, and not here! In the storms of doubt I'm often tempted often just to accept the drudgery and despair. And I fail to look up!
The disciples in the night we see them in the Bible were literally churning waters. They had been out on the waters and had gotten to the middle of the lake. But out of nowhere a notorious squall blew in against them. They had to pull down the sails and for hours had been rowing to keep their boat from being swamped. Perhaps they were fearing for their lives. Certainly they would have felt depressed in their futile efforts to get across the lake.
"You disciples, go over to the other side of the sea and I'll meet you there to teach you more," said Jesus. Yes, the Savior of the world commands his disciples to go out on Lake Galilee that evening. He has a plan that the disciples know nothing about! But pretty soon they will likely be wondering, "Why did he send us out onto this lake with such wind?"
But Jesus sees the wind too. After a few hours they've made it about half way across the lake. Hours of straining on the oars and now they point the boat into the waves to avoid death! And Jesus, who could have come to their rescue, right away doesn't come! In fact, it's not until hours later that Jesus miraculously comes over the waves to save them! Why didn't He come sooner?
Don't you feel that way in your life too? I know I have! I have surely felt that Jesus left me in the middle of the storm to drown. In the hardest times of my life, in the greatest struggles, it often seems like I'm all alone! I know that is not true, of course. I'm so grateful for His word and songs like this one that remind me daily that I am not alone in the eye of the storm.
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