Storm Advisory

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dangerous Hurricane Emily, a powerful Category 4 storm, kept churning toward the central Caribbean Sea and Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of nearly 135 miles per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said in an advisory on Friday.

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Hurricane Cindy, Hurricane Dennis and now, Hurricane Emily – and don’t overlook minor tropical depressions Arlene and Bret. The storms seem to keep coming and coming. Where are they coming from? Well I heard something about the surface temperatures, over a wide area of the Atlantic, running a little higher than normal and something else about atmospheric patterns. But, being the brilliant metrological mind that I am, all I really heard was blah, blah, temperatures, blah, atmosphere, blah, blah, patterns, blah, blah. All I know for sure is that it seems as one storm clears out we can count on a seeing a family member on its coattails.
I like storms. Well at least to a certain extent I like storms. There’s something comforting about the rain pounding on the roof and the wind whistling through the trees. I must admit, although, there is a point at which my comfort turns to fear. When trees start snapping in two, limbs and debris start flying and the waters begin to rise – it’s at that point that I realize that I’m NOT in control. I think that’s the worst part of any storm… the lack of control. As long as the storm isn’t really threatening me or my comfort in any way then it’s kind of nice. But the minute the borders of my comfort zone are compromised, and I realize that I’m not in control, well, it’s then I head for the closet, away from the windows and doors – an area in which I can feel, at least to some degree, safer.
After each severe storm, after each serious threat on my comfort, I realize that I’ve learned something new about storms, about what I need to do to protect myself and my family, and usually, I’ve learned something about myself as well.
The storms that keep crashing into the southern coast of the United States are much like the storms of our lives. They keep coming and coming. They don’t seem to stop. Just when we realize that we’ve made it through one, along comes its big brother to test us yet again. Sometimes life’s storms don’t infringe upon our comfort zones. It’s those small storms that we brag about. We tell everyone how we “rode it out”, how we “were never afraid”, how we knew “exactly what God was teaching us” and how “we needed that storm”. But those are the small, non-intimidating storms. What happens when the ‘Big One’ comes to town? I’ll tell you what happens. We board up the windows, we buy lots of bread and milk (what’s up with that? Is that all people eat during storms?), we get in the closet or the bathroom and we pray for it all to be over soon and that we’ll be okay when it does end.
There’s something else we do when those BIG storms come. At least it’s something I tend to do. We ask God why? We assume we’re not in God’s will. “What did I do wrong?” we ask ourselves. We seldom stop to think maybe, just maybe, God planned for us to endure this particular storm. Maybe it was a huge teaching moment for Him – something we really needed.
In Matthew 14 Jesus had just feed five thousand people with nothing more than a five loaves and two fish. Amazing right? Soon after that something else very interesting happened. “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” (Matthew 14:22-24 - NIV) Suddenly, without warning, the disciples find themselves in a difficult storm. Were they in God’s will? Were they out of God’s will? Let’s think this through. The disciples were in the middle of a horrible storm. They were in the middle of a horrible storm in a SMALL BOAT. They were in the middle of a horrible storm in a small boat WITHOUT AN ENGINE. It was dark. It was wet. The waves were high. The boat was being tossed around like a stick in the ocean. Prior to this point, they had not known about the storm (Peter, you have to watch The Weather Channel). But that doesn’t answer the question, were they or were they not in God’s will? I think the answer to that is obvious for all of us. Who had sent them into the storm? Jesus Himself “made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side”. They were smack-dab in the middle of God’s will. Jesus had sent then into the storm. Why? They needed to grow. They needed to trust. They needed to learn.
It’s important to keep in mind, in the middle of life’s storms that there is much for us to learn and ample room for us to grow. It’s like lifting weights. We only get stronger if we continue to add weight to the bar. That doesn’t make it easier to lift. It makes it more difficult to raise the bar each time. Sometimes we strain for what seems like hours to lift the bar. Sometimes we need help. Often we want to give up and have someone remove the weight. It was easier BEFORE we added the weight. God understands that principle. That’s why, over and over again, He adds weight to our bar. He knows life is easier when our boat goes smoothly from one shore to the next, but He sends the storms anyway. Why? He allows the storms come because He loves us… because He wants us to grow… because He wants us to trust in Him, not ourselves.
The next time you’re in the middle of a torrential storm, the next time you think someone has added too much weight to your bar – remember, there is plenty for you to learn, there is a God in whom to trust and there is much more strength that you need in order to make it to the end of the journey. Be strong. Hold your head up. Trust in Jesus Christ! The bar will get heavier, the storms will come and go but Jesus will ALWAYS be there!
Please pray for me. Pray that during my next ‘storm’ I’ll remember all of this!

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:30-31 – NIV)