09/18/2017
I got a glimpse the other evening of an event in nature that is rarely witnessed. The scene was so briefly shown and commented on that I felt compelled to expound on its impact and the message of hope it left for all of us to hold on to.
Texas and then Florida, as you know, were hit hard the past couple of weeks by hurricanes. The devastation, loss of property, homes, and even life that lay in the path of these storms was epic and hard to digest.
As I watched the weather channel track these storms I was impressed with the detail of coverage that was shared hour by hour, and moment by moment. I was particularly fascinated with Mike Bettes and the colorful commentary he relayed about the nature of the storm as he bravely braced himself in 115 to 135mph winds. It was hard to imagine anyone could stand there and report to us in real-time what was taking place before our eyes.
The moment I want to share with you, however, didn’t occur in the blinding sheets of rain or high 135mph wind gusts. The moment, and it happened in the blink of an eye, was when Mike found himself in the very eye of the hurricane. Imagine this, rain pelting, debris flying all over the place, Mike bracing himself against the high winds, yelling from the top of his lungs all that the storm was dishing out and then, the EYE! Complete calm, lightening of the sky, and Mike Bettes at a complete loss for words!
I mean, what a moment. In the raging storm, right in the very center, was God reminding us all that He was present and in full control of everything. “Be still and know that I Am God!” I thought it interesting that during the brunt of the storm words from Mr. Bettes were free-flowing but during the moment of the eye words were lost, a moment of awe and silence took their place.
This moment reminded me that we can all rest in the eye. We can choose to brace ourself, concentrate alone on the problems that surround us and lose hope or we can stand confidently in the midst of adversity and rest fully with faith in the eye.
I pray you can glean some encouragement in this reading. It seems to me that in the midst of all the problems our country seems to be experiencing lately, it would be helpful to focus on the eye the sustains us rather than on the storms that seeks to destroy us.
Peace,
JB
