Like many, I have been moved by
the reports from the tornadoes that ravaged Oklahoma this week. I was actually
watching a cable news channel when the one on Monday struck in Moore, OK I
remember commenting to Tiffany how the situation looked dire. The news reports
have certainly proved that to be true.
In times such as this, there are
many questions raised that begin with the word, why. To be completely honest, I
have asked many of these same questions and pondered the same conclusions as
you. One thing I am sure of, though, is that “why” is a statement of faith when
we’re able to see God in the midst of our questions.
There is one question in
particular that struck me: does God have the power to stop a storm? In a word,
yes – God has the ability to stop the storms – literally and figuratively –
that befall us and sometimes he does. I can’t help but wonder how many times I
might have been headed for a crisis when God intervened. I might have written
it off as a coincidence, blind luck, or been oblivious to it in the first
place, but I am quite sure that God has intervened on my behalf many times in
my life. But we have to come to grips with the times when God does not
intervene…at least in a way we would choose. Sometimes, due to sin, our broken
creation, or the free will of another person, storms strike us. Storms may tear
at us, but they need not tear us apart.
As I have prayed and reflected
about the events of this past week, I am again drawn to the story of Jesus
calming the storm as told in Matthew
14.22-34. This is the account when Jesus sent his disciples ahead in a boat
while he remained behind to pray on the mountain. From his vantage point, he
could see the storm on the horizon, so he decided to walk on the water to come
to their aid. This event all took place while the storm raged and terrified the
disciples, many of whom were seasoned seafarers.
Jesus indeed has the power to
calm the storm – in fact, he did (v.32) – but not until he appeared to the
disciples to steady their faith. It strikes me that Jesus would rather walk
with us through the storm as opposed
to calming it for us. Then, we come to know that Jesus’ greater power is
exhibited not in his calming the storm, but calming the one in the storm. Allow
that to sink in for a moment. While he had the ability to stop the storm, his
gift to the disciples was to walk with them through
it.
The same is true today. God has
the ability to stop the storms of life, and sometimes he does. In those times
when the storms are not calmed, however, he is walking through them with us.
When we are confronted with things like nature’s fury, a medical diagnosis, a
tragic accident, the loss of a loved one, or whatever life throws our way, we
might be inclined to ask “Why?”, and
I think that is all well and good. The answer that we receive in the midst of
our storms, though, might not be the answer that we seek, but it is the one
that we need – the God walks with us through our storms.
Whatever storm you might be
facing today, know that Jesus wants to walk through it with you. It might not calm
the storm, but it will calm you!
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