The Weather Channel recently aired a documentary about a meteorologist’s ordeal surviving a hurricane while trapped in a hotel. The wind devastated everything outside and the lobby inside. When the eye of the storm reached their location, he and the camera operator pushed aside rubble and walked outside. The first thoughts he shared was their absolute amazement of how eerie the calm was. He could actually see stars in the sky. This story motivated me to examine storms in the Bible. Sometimes I encounter biblical subjects I’ve never studied in-depth. This was one of those topics and it surprised me at how many references Scriptures make about storms.
Storms are a fact of life. By living near the Atlantic coast most of my life, I have been through more than a few hurricanes and seen several tornadoes. One lifted my truck off the ground—with me inside. In Africa, we experienced thunder and lightning storms worse than anything I’d ever imagined. Everyday people face varied types of storms—windstorms, ice/snow storms, hailstorms, and rainstorms. This doesn’t include natural disasters as volcanos, wildfires, earthquakes, avalanches, tsunami, and this list continues. The first mention of a storm in the Bible was the flood during Noah’s life. Job, who most say lived before Abraham, references storms. Are they. . . like chaff which the storm carries away (Job 21:18)? Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth (Exo 9:23). Jesus experienced storms. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep (Mat 8:24).
We typically associate storms with the need for refuges. I’ve been working on a tornado shelter for a place of refuge if one ever hits our area. The Bible refers to refuges ninety times, three times more than storms. In the natural world, a refuge such as rocks or caves served as places that protected from danger, and a location that made someone inaccessible to his or her enemy. On several occasions, David fled from King Saul and took refuge with Achish, king of Gath, and in Kir-Hareseth in Moab, and the cave of Adullam. Yet, David knew the only real source of refuge was the Lord. He wrote a Psalm while hiding in a cave to escape King Saul. A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. . . I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Ps 142:1, 5 NIV). More than 40 times the book of Psalms urges us to take refuge in God. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble (Psa 46:1); I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust (91:2)!”
Not only do we encounter storms caused by nature, we will face storms in our personal lives. A list of these would be endless. Note just a few, illness, disease, accident, finances, loss of a job, marital issues, and family struggles, etc. How do we survive? Just like storms of nature, we need a place of refuge. However, many depend on their wealth; some believe their own strength, intellect, and abilities will save them; Americans can be over confident in our military. Psalms warns us, Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we depend on the Lord our God (Ps 33:17 NET). David well experienced in the storms of war wrote, A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; despite its great strength, it cannot deliver (20:7 NET).
As I pondered the story of the meteorologist, I wondered if a person could walk at the same speed of the hurricane, even with winds of 100-150 mph surrounding them, they would stay in total calmness. I know that’s not possible, but think about that in light of God and our storms of life. He can carry us along in the calmness. I also saw an interview with a Christian woman sharing the protection God gave her during a tornado. She had delivered a package to a store but as soon as she walked out the winds forced the door shut leaving her stranded in the direct path of a tornado. She prayed the entire time of her ordeal. She braced herself with one hand on a vending machine and the other on the wall of the store. Suddenly the machine blew away and then the winds destroyed the building leaving nothing around her. She kept praying and said she felt as if she was enclosed in a bubble. The tornado past and left her standing in the mist of rubble. People who survived in a small room in the store could only praise God as they came out and saw her safe. They knew this could have only been a miracle.
God never promised to keep us from the storms, but to keep us through the storms. He can carry us along in calmness in the eye of our storm, He can enclose us in a bubble of protect, or He can calm the storm as Jesus did. Was Daniel in a bubble in the lion’s den? Were his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, in God’s bubble in the fiery furnace? Regardless, God was with them and protected them. Elisha remained calm when a great army surrounded the city where he was staying, but his servant panicked. You can stay calm in all of life’s storms.
Sustaining Word for the Week: God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not be afraid.