Out of the Storm: God Speaks

How often, like Job, in the midst of the swirling uncertainty of the storms of our life do we cry out to a God that seems so far away? When the oppressive rain of sorrow numbs the fire of faith in our soul so that fear thunders through our heart; we cry out to God asking Him to remove us from the storm…and then “out of the storm” God speaks!

In Matthew 4, the disciples felt this storm-induced fear & distance from God even though He was PHYSICALLY present in the boat with them. Note Jesus’ response to their cries in the midst of the storm:

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat…A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:35-41)

Job, Daniel, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, & Moses were all great ‘heroes of the faith’; all men of God who faced great ‘storms’ in their time here on earth. Each of these men at some point in their walk with God cried out to Him asking to be delivered from the storm they faced…each asked God (*as we often do today) ‘Why?...why this storm?’ Rather than answer their questions or remove the storm; God chose to speak to each of these men “out of the storm” by revealing a glimpse of WHO HE IS in the MIDST of their raging storm.

Isaiah saw heaven opened, Moses: God’s Glory passing by, & Job heard God’s voice. Faced with a glimpse of the Great I AM; the many frenzied questions were silenced; the men’s frantic hearts stilled to a restful peace. The ‘storms’ they were facing were not removed, but faded into irrelevancy—their turbulent circumstances eclipsed by the surety of the Master of the wind & waves! To their question of ‘why?’ God gave the answer of ‘Who!’ And the Who was enough. Though the storm of circumstances raged on; the storm in their soul was stilled by the Master of the wind & waves—in Him they found rest & hope!

In the face of the ‘storms’ God brings into my life may I rest in the hands of the Great & Loving Master of the Universe—my ears tuned for His voice to speak out of the storm. For though I may not understand the ‘why’… the I AM is more than ENOUGH!

“In You I rest, in You I found my hope. In you I trust, You never let me go. I place my life within your hands alone Be still my soul!” www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq59iE…