As the 30-40 mph winds blew through our area one Saturday evening, the sound caught my attention. I woke with a start from my sleep as the cold weather front came screaming through like a freight train. The sounds of the wind’s effects alarmed my thoughts. Anything that was unsecured seemed to be moving: like the metal lawn chairs clanging, the windows rattling and the shutters banging. I even questioned how sturdy our three hundred year old house was? Would the little vegetable seedlings that I had carefully planted be rooted deep enought to sustain the winds? In the darkness of night, these sounds and thoughts made me more vulnerable to the unseen possibilities.
The next morning, in the light of day, the wind was still very brisk, but I could see everything in a different perspective. The clouds were moving gracefully through the blue sky. The trees were still standing, the windows in the house intact, and my soul was at peace. As my husband and I were driving, we observed the beauty of the gusty breeze causing a rippling affect on the fields of barley, rye, and wheat. The grain was not uprooted but bent in the direction the wind was going.
In my life, the winds of adversity can seem unsettling and I long for peace and quiet. Adversity is defined as an event or series of events which oppose success or desire; calamity, affliction or distress. As long as we live on this earth we will experience these troubling events. Jesus said that in this world we will experience tribulation, grief, and heartache BUT he also said to be of good cheer because he has overcome the world!!
I am intrigued with the response Jesus had to the natural storms in his life. As I have been reading through the book of Mark, there are two storms on the sea that are recounted. The one time Jesus was asleep in the boat while the disciples were fearing for their lives. There was a fierce gale of wind and the waves were breaking over the boat so much so that the boat was filling up with water. His disciples frantically woke him up! He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” Suddenly the wind died down and it became perfectly calm! He asked the men, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” In the next account Jesus had made his disciples get into the boat ahead of him and proceed to the other side of the sea. He had just fed the 5,ooo plus people and he stayed behind to send the crowds home and then spend time alone to pray. Jesus saw that the disciples were rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About 3 o’clock in the morning he came walking on the water and was intending to pass them. But they screamed in terror for they thought that he was a ghost. These were grown men, some of them fisherman, used to being on the sea. (Popular Jewish superstition held that the appearance of spirits during the night brought disaster.) This is how Jesus responded to their outburst of terror. “It’s all right. I am here! Don’t be afraid.” Previously he intended to walk past them, but when he saw their great fear, he got into the boat with them. The wind stopped and the waves calmed down too. Jesus is still speaking those words to us through the Holy Spirit. “Don’t be afraid. I am here!”
This challenged me! I had some recent circumstances that unsettled my soul: my mind, will, and emotions. As I was trying not to let the thoughts of anxiety overcome me, I spoke aloud the words,”Hush, be still….” It’s words we speak to a child to help them to rest when they are fearful. As I was writing this, my 4 yr old granddaughter came into the kitchen crying because she had fallen and scraped her hands and knees on the pavement. She certainly needed some consoling and quieting!
There is a fun children’s song with hand motions with these words: With Jesus in the boat I can smile at the storm, as we go sailing home. Jesus actually got into the boat with his disciples to comfort them! Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us. He knows we need comfort. IICorinthians 1:4 God comforts us in ALL of our affliction and we are comforted by him. Many times when I cry out to God, the words come to me, “Don’t be afraid.” The winds of adversity may blow but we know who is in the boat with us!
If you have read the post, Seed Time, you may remember about planting good seeds. These verses are some of the good seeds that I have planted and come to my mind and encourage me.
When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. Psalm 94:19
Selections from Psalm 27. The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me. When You said,”Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodnes of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.