Who Calms the Storms of Life?

National Hurricane Preparedness Week runs from May 24 through May 30.   Using #Itonlytakesone to impress upon folks the truth that: “It only takes one storm to change your life,” the National Weather Service is serious about raising understanding of tropical cyclones.  From facts such as “six inches of storm surge can knock a person down” to detailed planning guides, the NWS aims for a “Weather Ready Nation.” God has done much the same for us in His Word; He wants us to understand the storms of life and how to live in safety.

Psalm 119:144 says, “Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live.”

As a child, I feared thunderstorms.  The silly statements of “God and the angels are bowling” did nothing to calm my fears.  My friend’s mom, though, loved thunderstorms.  She would gather us around her and watch with us from the safety of a covered doorway.  Her sweet enthusiasm changed my outlook.  The storms of life can be approached the same way with truth from Scripture.

Faith in the sovereignty of God transforms everything.  Confidence in the love and power of God takes the fear out of every storm.  There is more!  Listen as Moses says farewell to Israel:

“There’s no one like your God, Jeshurun! He rides through the heavens to help you. In majesty he rides through the clouds.” Deuteronomy 33:26 (God’s Word Translation)

Jeshurun is an honorary title for Israel.  It refers to the upright who are seeking God.  When we seek Him, He—in His majesty—rides the clouds to come help us!  Thinking of God in the clouds of our life adds value to the old adage, “every cloud has a silver lining.” Moses went on to say that the eternal God would be a refuge for those who seek Him—and that while He shelters us, He will drive the enemy out.  Storms are His way of exposing enemies we have been blind to:  pride, selfishness, manipulation.  For even in our best efforts, the enemy manages to plant unholy spirits that contaminate.  God uses storms to draw us into His arms and strengthen us for battle against those enemies.

There is even a more fun twist to this story.  The nation of Israel was birthed through a man named, Israel.  That man was given the name of Jacob at birth; God changed his name to Israel.  The root of the word Jacob means “heel”—the expanded definition of the name includes the idea of “grabbing the heel,” conniving and manipulation.   In Genesis, God told Satan that he would strike the heel of humanity—but his (the enemy’s) head would be crushed.  The transformation of Jacob into Israel, or Jeshurun, is the process that allows the crushing!

Jesus Christ makes that transformation possible. Without Him, our heel is vulnerable because we seek to go our own way.  God allows storm clouds to descend for the holy purpose of turning us back to Himself.  As soon as we surrender to Jesus, the Deliverer, the storm becomes the greatest blessings in our lives.  When we seek Father God, He rides on the clouds to deliver us! 

When did you find God in a storm cloud in your life?