Where do you go when there is a storm? I go outside. I love a good spring storm. Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to enjoy the storm while at a restaurant on Smithville Lake. And when I say on the lake I mean it was actually built on a floating dock that was on the lake. Talk about a great ring side seat for one of the most electrifying lightening storms we have had. I was reminded of God’s mighty power. I thought about how everything can be so still one second, and the next the air is charged with electricity and then the storm blows in and everything is in chaos. Kind of reminds me of life. Apparently I’m not alone in my fascination with storms. Storm-chasing is a popular hobby in this part of the country. There are even vacation packages that are built around the possibility of storm chasing. And the local meteorologists have jumped on the storm bandwagon. They have adopted slogans like: “Weathering the storm”, “the Calm during the storm”, and “your 1st alert weather team”.
Being a mid-western girl my whole life, I am most familiar with tornados. I am intrigued by tornados, how they can develop suddenly, drop from the sky and cause major damage in just a few minutes. But what’s even more amazing is how they can completely demolish one house and leave the next one untouched. I witnessed this in Liberty just a few years ago. Tornados are something you can actually prepare for. We even have tornado drills in our schools and places of business. I don’t think other places have drills for their storms. I mean I can’t imagine a hurricane drill or a flood drill or even a blizzard drill and you definitely can’t have an earthquake drill or a volcano drill.
Definition of storm: any disturbed state of astronomical body’s atmosphere especially affecting its surface. We are familiar with these types of storms:
Weather map w/ rain, tornado, wind, hurricane, snow, volcano, etc
But let’s look at another type of storms, the storm of life.
Life map: marriage, kids, divorce, parents, in-laws, death, moving, job,
I bet you’ve experienced some of these storms of life. In fact, I would say that right now you find yourself in 1 of 3 storm predicaments: in the midst of the storm, coming out of the storm, or in the quiet before the storm.
Common Myths about storms of life:
1. Obedience to God produces smooth sailing
a. James 1:2-3
2. The storm is a result of sin
a. John 9:1-3
3. The storm is a result of disobedience (unless your name is Jonah)
a. John 16:33
4. If God cared, he would rescue me or make the storm disappear
a. Mark 6:45-47
5. I don’t deserve to be going thru this storm
a. Job 1:1-12
Now, I want to shift gears here & tell you how a particular animal reacts to a storm. The eagle, a majestic & powerful bird w/a huge wingspan. Did you know that an eagle will actually face a storm head-on from a place on high? When an eagle anticipates a storm it will find a high perch & wait for the storm. When the wind begins to blow the eagle will spread its wings & fly right into the approaching storm. Now you might be thinking what a stupid bird. But what actually happens is the winds will lift the eagle above the storm & he will ride out the storm up above the clouds. Imagine that for just a minute. The eagle is flying over the top of the storm where it is quiet & peaceful. I once flew over a thunderstorm. It was so awesome. Up where we were flying the sky was clear, but down below us were massive thunderheads. And we could see the lightening as it streaked towards the ground & the shafts of rain pounding down to the earth. But our flight was smooth up above the storm. You see, that is why the eagle would prefer to ride out the storm from above, its smooth flying up there. I think we can learn from the eagle. When we are facing the storms of life, we can’t run & hide. We have to be prepared for the storm. We can do that by reading our Bible, memorizing scripture, & praying. Here are a couple of verses that might come in handy during your storm preparation:
Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.
Matthew 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
When the storm is upon us we must seek higher ground instead of running for cover. We must allow God to lift us above the storm. Isaiah 40:29-31.
He gives strength to the weary & increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired & weary; & young men stumble & fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.
