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Master of the Storm

by Jerry Ousley  
6/17/2011 / Christian Living

The wind was raging, the rain was pounding, lightening played in the sky like mischievous children, and the thunder seemed to shake the ground. It was one of the wildest storms we had ever experienced, at least to date. Straight line winds reached eighty miles per hour and we watched out the windows as we witnessed one tree after another forced to the ground from its stately perch high in the sky. We spent the next couple of days sawing and cleaning up the mess left by the storm.

I remember feeling sorry for those trees. We hated to lose them from our yard. The trees that offered seclusion from the road had been one of the main appeals convincing us to buy our house. Once those fallen trees were cleaned up it seemed we were exposed to the world. Since then we have planted new trees and as they grow a little more each year slowly but surely we are getting our seclusion back.

A storm is a powerful force of nature over which we have no control. We can complain about the weather, we can track it, report it, warn communities of tornados and destructive storms, but there is nothing we can do to stop them. At best all we can do is get out of the way. I know some people who are like that, don't you?

Paul, as a prisoner of Rome, was in route to plead his case before the mighty Caesar. He had warned the soldiers who escorted him, along with several other prisoners, that they should winter at Crete. I suppose they didn't want to be taking advice from a prisoner so they ignored his warning and set sail anyway. In Acts 27:14-25 the storm is described in great detail. The storm had a name much like we name hurricanes today; it was called Euroclydon.

In comparison we are told about a storm the disciples went though with Jesus. You can read about it in the fourth chapter of Mark. Even though it took place on a much smaller body of water (the Sea of Galilee as compared to the Mediterranean Sea), still it was one of great danger. The disciples feared for their lives as Jesus slept in the back of the boat. It seemed He didn't care at all if they died out on the water. They woke Jesus up asking Him this very question. But we are told in the Bible that Jesus rose to His feet, addressed the storm itself and said in a commanding voice: "Peace, be still!" Immediately the storm stopped, the lightening quit flashing and the thunder ceased its roar. All became still as the boat rocked a few times in the dwindling waves then as Jesus had commanded it was calm, still, and peaceful.

So why didn't God do that for Paul? He could have. He could have commanded Euroclydon to put away his fury. He could have said those words, "Peace, be still," and the storm would have done just as it had for Jesus and the disciples out on the Sea of Galilee. But He didn't. He chose to let the storm rage on. He allowed the ship to rock and creak as the waves rolled over her one after another. Instead of calming the storm He sent one of His angels to stand beside of Paul and assure him that they would all be saved. They would experience peril but Paul and all with him would be delivered out of the storm. It was enough for Paul. As the storm even then raged on he was calmed inside. The stillness of peace reigned in his heart and he said, "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'" (Acts 27:22-24).

What was the difference? Why would God bring peace to nature one time and allow His children to go through the storm another? It is because God knows exactly what we need. Sometimes we can't take it anymore and we need our Lord to bring calm to the raging storm of life around us. But there are other times when He knows we need to face the fury brought upon us. For reasons unbeknown to us we must go through the storm. It may be a sickness, a disease or a financial crisis that seems as if it will leave us devastated. I want to assure you today that if you are resting in the palm of God's hand He will know when that storm must be commanded to stop and when we need His loving arms around us, comforting us as it rages on, assuring us that all will be well. He knows best; all we must do is learn to trust Him.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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