Our world can be so daunting and scary. We only need to turn on the news or scroll through our social media feed to find something that could bring a storm to rise in our minds.
And yet, even with the horrible events that are occurring in our country, if we look really closely, we can still find the good. We can still find Jesus in the storms.
Jesus is in…
The hundreds of people who gather around in prayer.
Jesus in…
Men rescuing children.
Hands being held.
Churches now being allowed to open their doors for worship.
People defending free speech and worship.
Families actually spending time together.
And Jesus is also in the small and simple things.
The wag of a dog’s tail.
A smile from a stranger.
The sound of laughter.
The rush of a stream.
The call of the birds.
The change of the seasons.
The good is always present in the bad. He never leaves us alone in a storm. We just have to be willing to look for it, to look for Him.
So, why doesn’t God always calm the storms that rage outside us?
Why does He let the wind blow and the seas crash?
Why does He allow people to hurt each other, burn things… ? Babies die?
Why does He let evil be so readily seen?
Maybe it is to wake us up?
Maybe it is, so we turn back to Him? Maybe we are so consumed with ourselves that we need to recognize how far we have come away from HIM, as people and as a country. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because He is trying to calm the storms that rage within each of us.
The internal rage of division and ethnicity.
The storms of politics and idealism.
The expressions of hate, fear, and selfish endeavors.
Things that rip us apart on the inside, pulling us further away from the grace of God and His love for all of humanity.
These storms are far worse than any we can experience on the outside.
These storms and poor attributes have eternal consequences.
What does God want us to do with these storms?
He wants us to focus on Him.
He wants us to find the blessing in our storms.
He wants us to witness good conquering evil.
He wants us to recognize EVIL.
So, He allows it because…..
At the heart of His desire is for us to have our hearts entwined with His love and devotion for all of us.
Then we no longer struggle with the flesh and the spirit. We can become one. One body, One church.
This is what causes the storms to cease.
This is where the Holy and the Beautiful is found and lived out
This is how we find the abundant life that Jesus promised us. This is how the storms of the world are calmed.
“While on their way, a strong and violent storm came upon them, driving the boat south and away from their destination. Hour upon hour, they labored against the storm without success. They were driven and tossed about on the tiny boat.”
All the while, Jesus knew their condition. He knew what was happening to them and, yes, even allowed it to happen. After all, he sent them out, knowing full well that the storm would overtake them.
Jesus went to them. He walked on the water. There, in the middle of that RAGING storm, Jesus came to them and said, “Be of courage, do not fear, it is I.”
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Holy Beautiful Life
Featured Image by Erik Tanghe from Pixabay
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