Perryn Rice: Associate Pastor - Cookeville First Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Story Published:
Jul 8, 2009 at 11:29 AM CST
Story Updated:
Jul 8, 2009 at 11:29 AM CST
"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith'?" Mark 4:39-40
Recently where we live, there have been a lot of storms in the evenings.
Our daughter, who's 3, does not like thunder. When she hears it, she lets out a sudden groan and throws her hands over her ears and closes her eyes.
Terri and I try to comfort her.
We hold her and tell her there's nothing to be afraid of.
But as soon as the night thunders again, she lets out a sudden groan and throws her hands over her ears and closes her eyes.
This continues until either the storm stops, or she falls asleep in the lap of her mother or mine.
No secret here - life is filled with storms: finacial, civil, social, political, ecological, evil, familial, and self-inflicted.
Oddly enough, when we hear the thunder and see the lightening, we panic.
Many of us have been "raised" in the church and we know that the Lord speaks peace to our storms, but when we hear the thunder and see the lightening, we let out sudden groans and throw our hands over our ears and close our eyes - we panic!
Why is that, especially when we KNOW Who controls our storms?
Well, it's not about what we know as much as it is about what we believe.
The reason why my daughter can fall asleep in my lap during a thunderous storm is because she believes she's safe there. Yeah, "we walk by faith, not by sight."
When you believe the Lord truly controls the elements of your storms, you stop panicking and begin to relax and let God work.
Look, you can't control the stock market; you can't control politics; you can't truly control your family (you can help be a positive influence in these areas, but you don't have the final "say"). But God can and does.
So when the storms hit (and they will), climb into the Lord's lap and sleep; for there is no safer place than there.
Have a Greater day!
This article is supplied by Perryn Rice. If you have questions or would like to contact him, click here to e-mail him. He would appreciate your e-mails and comments.
