BEYOND THE STORM
Más Allá de la Tormenta
by
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Monday, May 31, 2021
This photo shows lightning striking a body of water. [Photographer: Micahel Hunter. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
Almost every spring in North America, cold air that sweeps down from the Arctic Circle and over Canada tends to meet with warm air moving up from the Gulf of Mexico. When the two air masses collide above the Plains States, a conflict ensues with resulting thunderstorms and tornadoes.
While I was growing up in Oklahoma, the noise from that collision sounded frightening to me! However, when storms occurred, my mother got bursts of energy that meant she would either bake something delicious or she would cut out fabric and sew up a garment for one of us. Consequently, my sister and I didn't fear the storm as much as we anticipated the good thing she was making. We had faith that we would benefit from the storm.
Since my older sister was exceptionally tall, she was frequently the recipient of Mother's sewing efforts. However, during one noisy storm, Mother cut out a dress for me and sewed it up all in one evening so that I wore it to school the next day.
The lightning from the storm illuminates the tall ship. [Photographer: Dimitris Vetsikas. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
Violent weather also frightened the disciples, as we see in the following scripture passage:
Luke 8:22-25 — 22) One day, Jesus said to his, disciples, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23) As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that they were in great danger. 24) The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging water; the storm subsided and all was calm. 25) "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement, they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him!" (NIV).
In this passage, we see that, although the disciples were grown men, they became frightened during a raging storm while they were out on the lake with Jesus. Their fright resulted from their inability to look beyond the tempest that was overtaking their boat. Jesus provided the opportunity for the disciples to see beyond the storm and to show them what faith could do. We don't know if they applied that lesson to themselves but it is a lesson for us. When we adjust our focus away from the difficulties around us and focus, instead, on what our Lord can do, we are able to remain calm.
When difficulties seem to overwhelm us, we can pray to God a prayer like this one:
"Guarding God, please direct my attention away from the tempests in my life and focus my vision on You instead. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen."
BIBLE VERSES USED IN THIS POSTING
Luke 8:22-25 — 22) One day, Jesus said to his, disciples, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23) As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that they were in great danger. 24) The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging water; the storm subsided and all was calm. 25) "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement, they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him!" (NIV).
Lucas 8:22-25 — 22) Aconteció un día, que (Jesús) entró en una barca con sus discípulos, y les dijo: Pasemos al otro lado del lago. Y partieron. 23) Pero mientras navegaban, él se durmió. Y se desencadenó una tempestad de viento en el lago; y se anegaban y peligraban. 24) Y vinieron a él y le desperaron, diciendo: !!Maestro, Maestro, que perecemos! Despertando él, reprendió al viento y a las olas; y cesaron, y se hizo bonanza. 25) Y les dijo: ¿Dónde está vuestra fe? Y atemorizados, se maravillaban, y se decían unos a otros: ¿Quién es éste, que aun a los vientos y a las aguas manda, y le obedecen? (Reina-Valera 1960)
At the end of every storm there is a beautiful rainbow; and sometimes there are two! [Photographer: Karsten Paulick. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
