Christian Living

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Peace and Nor'easters
Black clouds hover, skies turn steely. A yellow, prickling, almost achy electricity statics the air. Thunder rumbles like the low-throat growl of a dog. Birds silence, hiding away their songs. Trees toss wildly, finally bending headfirst to the ground. We stand waiting for the sky to burst with the relief of rain. And it comes with the fury of a hungered black bear, stealing soil and limbs. We are inundated.

Imagine the same steely grey blanket hanging pregnant with dangerous intent. Horizons vanish as sky meets earth with a dull handshake. The snow starts falling innocently and softly enough with little tufted breezes tossing bare-armed branches against one another. As time progresses that innocence becomes an iced sheet of wet, hard-hitting sleet. The wind sweeps aisles of bare patches and swirled tornado-style whipped-cream hillocks of slippery mush into the roads. Visibility ends abruptly. We are inundated.

Storms have many faces.There are the uncontrolled tornadoes touching down politically right now all over the country, indeed the world. There are the tsunamis of newly furrowed social issues, threatening to wash away any hard-won gains. There are even dividing earthquakes rocking the very foundations of people's faith, pushing many to the breaking point of hopeless disbelief.

Acts 27 describes the plight of Paul, who had been arrested and was prisoner on a ship taking him to Rome for trial. The ship encountered an unusual storm. Paul warned the captain and was ignored until the storm became more intense, "a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster" swept down from the island [Crete]."Then they listened to Paul's warnings, followed his directions and were saved.

Ever have that happen? One storm hits like a wave, then another and another repeatedly throwing your face into the packed sand? At times like this it is difficult to stand firm. Remembering the Word, considering it "pure joy,"seeking the perfect face of God, praising our Father, all of it, seems impossible and futile because it's all we can do to survive. We are putting one foot in front of the other numbly, breathing in and out and just barely ekeing out our survival with a broken shield and bent back to protect us.

Adrian Rogers spoke about the different types of storms we encounter:

1. "There are normal storms. The Bible says God makes it rain on the just and unjust (Mat. 5:45). We simply live in a world that has storms as a natural part of life."

2. "There are storms that we engineer by our own foolishness and disobedience. That's the kind of storm Jonah got into when he tried to flee from the presence of God (Jonah 1:1-4)."

3. "There are also storms God sends us for growth. Jesus commanded His disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side of the sea (Mat. 14:22-24). He knew a storm was brewing but was teaching them a lesson for their development."

4."There are storms we're dragged into by other people. That's where we find Paul. He was a prisoner who tried to warn them! But they didn't listen so he was dragged into his storm by others."

Whatever storm is occurring (and many are occurring in many precious lives presently), God. is. in. control. That seems like a trite statement, but, when all seems bleak, the name of Jesus uttered (even with the raspy breathlessness of a voice ragged from crying), will yield His peace. Adrian Rogers said, "Peace does not equal the absence of problems. Peace equals the power from God to deal with them." When exhaustion and lack of vision causes our mouths to be sealed against uttering the perfect name of Jesus, a simple, difficult, yet necessary, turning of our hearts in surrender to Him does not go unnoticed in Heaven.

c 01/21/2010 M. LaPointe

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