Spiritual storms

 

What a storm we’ve just been through here in Northern California!  I can’t remember a time in my life when my house felt like it actually moved because of the wind, like it did the day before yesterday.  It has to be in the top 5 scariest storms I’ve ever encountered.  I know that people in the mid-West and East have hurricanes and tornadoes more frequently and would laugh at my fear at what the wind can do, but I’m not used to it.  Earthquakes, yes.  Windstorms, no.

Throughout our lives, we can be assured that at some point we’ll encounter a storm.  Not just a physical storm but a spiritual one.  It may come in the form of a tragic event, a deep wound inflicted by another, the effects of our own sin or some other painful experience.  Many may be experiencing spiritual storms these days because of the pandemic and social unrest that seems to assault our every waking moment.  And for many people, this will happen more than once.

When such a “storm” is encountered in life, it may seem as if Jesus is “asleep” and not readily available to help us through.  When this happens, it might be helpful to prayerfully ponder the storm the disciples encounter in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 4:35-41).

The disciples, in a panic, woke up Jesus and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus got up, addressed the storm and said, “Quiet! Be still!” and all was calm.  He then said to the disciples, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”  The disciples were left in amazement and wonder.

The key is faith.  When we face a storm in life, we must have faith.  But what does that mean?  It means that we must know, with a deep certitude, that Jesus is in fact always with us.  We must know, with a deep certitude, that if we place all our trust and hope in Him, He’ll never abandon us.  We must know, with a deep certitude, that every storm will ultimately pass, and that peace and calm will ensue.

Facing the storms in life with faith is transforming.  And often Jesus appears to be asleep for a reason. The reason is that He wants us to trust.  Too often we turn our eyes to the storm itself and allow fear and anxiety to dominate our lives.  But every storm we encounter is an opportunity to trust Him on a new and deeper level.  If life were always easy and consoling, we would have little reason to trust deeply.  Every storm must be seen as an opportunity for tremendous grace as we place all our trust in Jesus, despite how things immediately appear.

We must learn to trust Him when all seems lost, when life is difficult and when confusion tempts us.  We must resolve to use that opportunity as a moment in which our faith is made manifest and becomes the stabilizing force of our life.