The Storm in the Calm

Between the holidays and waiting for the new year, we have felt a sense of storms. Cold snaps out of the Fraser Valley in Canada, and moisture comes in from the Pacific Ocean. They meet in our neighborhood, and we get dumped on with snow and spend nights in the teens. Lovely, for me, you know, but not everyone feels as blessed, nor are they pleased.

For years I’ve known that I love storms.
Wild, virulent, windy, and cold.
Snow and ice.
Whistling wet and wooly.
Let it come. It’s welcome here.

In life, I’ve been through hurricanes, skirted the edges of tornadoes, and watched the Blue Northers as they swept in. 28 inches of rain in 24 hours when a hurricane stalled in the Gulf of Mexico. Floods. Lightening. Rolling Thunder. Scary things, yes, each one.

Yet, I’ve always had a calm place in the middle of the storm. Some may call it the “eye” of the storm, but that only describes the mid-way point. No. For me, it’s been a safe house, fireplace and power, plenty of food, and all the other necessities of life we have come to depend on. Add to life and limb safety items, and we now need the Internet. Go figure. Technology has to step in one way or the other.

My last significant snowfall in Anchorage happened in 2003. About March or so. 38 inches in 24 hours. It was the biggest baddest storm we have ever experienced. It started Saturday and lasted into Sunday. Everything canceled. No one moved. Off the snow route, our neighborhood was not dug out for 3-4 days. I kept my driveway clean, wielding my snowblower up and down, back and forth, every 4 hours or so. Imagine getting over 3 feet of snow off your driveway!

Learn Something About Yourself

Storms are often worried about, and you have the right to worry. Fear of not surviving is a frightening thing when the elements rage. Having trust in God should paint us a wonderful picture of one who takes us through and out of the storm at His timing. We may not survive! But that should be okay if your assurance is in Christ and not in this world.

I’ve learned something. Amid any storm, I have the ability to find a place of calm. Even if it’s something I’ve created for myself or a place I’m seeking out. You must know how to find calm in the storm, but pray you never let the storm enter your calm.

You may be in the storm, and God may have created the storm, but you can find Him in the storm!

The disciples feared the storm, but Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat! Where was he? In the storm! (Mark 4:35-41) Elijah may have seen the power of God amid Wind, Earth, and Fire, but it was the Still Small Voice that gave him his ultimate knowledge. God may create the storm, but there is a place where we will know the God of the Storm! (1 Kings 19:11-12)

This morning, I read of a courageous woman who, any doctor or solution, has given no hope. She’s facing her most significant storm: Death. There’s a plan to move into this storm that she has accepted, but she must help others struggling with her moment. She prays for strength through this final storm and gives a witness of her Hope in Christ. [Source] She makes a statement that I find very appropriate:

Death is awful. But, for the believer, it’s just the beginning.

Hospice is her final step, but I can read between the lines. God can still heal, but if not, she’s going to fight courageously forward to the end!

How’s your storm looking right now?

There was a songwriter long ago (Eugene Monroe (E.M.) Bartlett). Of all his songs, several are old favorites of mine. Just A Little While (to stay here…) and Victory in Jesus. He wrote that last song after a stroke (1939) and before he passed (1941). We may wonder about his storm, but his witness of songwriting tells us a lot about his long-range view! Victory!

Finally…

The problem most of us face is not the storm but how we live through the storm.

In the midst of our storm
We may find some calm
But in the midst of the calm
We may discover a storm

How you choose to face
The storms that are sure to come
Will be a witness of you
How you trust in your Savior

Don’t waste the energy in fear.
Unless that fear draws you close
To Jesus and realize this truth
He will take you through.

Thank you for reading.
Please share with others.
It helps me get my book written!