Storms

STORMS

 

Let them know . . . that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:18)

 

            “DADDY, ARE YOU HOLDING on to me?” The voice came from a shivering five-year-old boy hunkered underneath a drenched tarpaulin on the twenty-five-foot, hand-hewn sailboat. During a routine run from the island of LaGonave, Haiti, to the mainland, a squall came up. Rain poured, and waves broke over the boat. The sail, ripped and snapped from its securing device, was captured by the wind and rode the waves. Both sail and part of the rudder were lost in the struggle against the sea.

            “Yes, Jimmy. It won't be long. I'm holding on to you, and we're going to make it,” his father said reassuringly. Passengers on board began to sing songs of faith. Off course, shaken up, and wet to the bone, they finally made it to shore.

            Israel was facing what felt like utter destruction. The psalmist's words describe the worsening “storm,” and his suggestions for dealing with it flowed from desperate lips. God waits for us, welcoming heartfelt cries from His children. Personal storms are inevitable. God knows we can't handle them alone. We have the promise of His presence and His peace. Does He have our trust? Can we hold on in faith and prove His faithfulness before others?

 

—Jeanette Vermilya

 

God will make a way—He will calm the storm, or He will guide us through it.