when will this storm end....

When...will...this...storm...end.....

Have you ever felt like the storm was like a never ending race? The clouds continue to swirl, the sun is nowhere to be seen, the wind is pelting the rain at your face, and there is a non-stop howl. Having been in a hurricane once, I remember a good 14-20 hours of rain, wind, and howling. It felt like it was never going to end, especially from a guy in Michigan where the storms are usually fast!

Isn’t life like this? Let’s face it, this entire COVID pandemic has felt like a never ending storm. From the very beginning of “15 days to slow the spread” to masks being enforced under penalty of law. Business travel nixed. Schools are al over the place. Church was all virtual (and in some cases, some are) and we continue to figure out what “in-person” looks like. As humans, I think we are equipped to handle short term chaos, or short term pain. But this, so much harder!

In Matthew, we see the story of the Apostles on the boat with Jesus. The start of it is Jesus getting on the boat, and they followed Him. That’s interesting in itself, they followed Him onto a boat, where He already knew there was going to be a storm. Notice He didn’t say to them “Whoa guys, there is going to be this wicked storm, stay here.” He let them follow Him.

Soon, a “great storm” arose on the sea. It was so bad, it says the boat was covered with waves. That is no a pleasant storm. It must have been bad enough, that even those that were actual fishermen, were panicked. Jesus though was asleep and they had to wake Him. “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” That sounds pretty serious, right? He led them to the boat, He let them get on the boat and then He took a nap. And now, they are flipping out, thinking this is it, they are going to die.

What must have gone through their minds at this point? Amidst the panic, do you think some were thinking “Where is Jesus? How can He possibly be sleeping!!!” What is also interesting, is that they knew Jesus was capable of something, but they didn’t know just what. They say “Save us”, not sure of what He was going to do, which we know, because they were shocked at what He ultimately did. Jesus rebukes them a bit here and says “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” With that He goes up and rebukes the wind and the seas, resulting in calmness. They were “amazed”, but even here, they still do not fully understand who He is as they refer to Him as “man”.

We have the benefit of hindsight. In fact, I bet most have read this story through the lense of already knowing what Jesus was capable and thought they were being a little dramatic. But put yourself in their shoes, or sandals, and see, and feel, what they would have been going through. Let me say it again, we have the benefit of hindsight.

There are a couple of important points that one must consider. First, our lives are eternal. Nothing that happens to us here, impacts our eternal prescence with the Lord. Nothing at all. We know this because Jesus promised He was preparing a place for us and He willingly went through a brutal death to do it. Second, nothing we go through is without Him being with us. In many cases, especially in the middle of it, it is very hard, if not impossible to see. But our circumstances are always meant to be a testimony to Him. It is how we connect with those who do not yet know Him. Don’t misunderstand, He does not thrust into circumstances for the purpose of suffering, but because we live in a fallen world, we will be in those circumstanes. Our bodies are not perfect. Our kids will fail us, as we have failed our parents. Our jobs will come and go. Viruses will overtake our lives. In the words of Solomon, it has all been done before...nothing is new under the sun.

Jesus knew we would suffer here on earth, knowing sin is present. He loves us so much, so so much, that He was wiling to give up His rightful place in Heaven, come down as a baby, and be brutally beaten, hung on a cross and die, and be separated from the Father. He did all of that because He didn’t want you to fall to this fallen world. He wanted you to have the Joy He has, and gives freely, even in the midst of this chaos. This eternal life is cause for great celebration, because nothing on earth can break that love.

But in the middle of it...He knows. He knows that you are upset, stressed, anxious, depressed, frustrated and maybe just plain scared. He is standing there to rebuke the wind and waves around you. He wants you to have communion with Him. He wants you to reach to Him. He doesn’t want you to be alone. While we cannot physically connect to Jesus, as He is not with us here on earth in the physically prescence, He did leave us you, me, and your brothers and sisters in Christ, the Holy Spirit. We all have the Holy Spirit in us and we are meant to be Christ to one another.

It’s often overlooked, the power, and responsibility, that comes with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. It is not meant for just us, individually, it is meant for us to be Jesus to others. He wants to speak through us. He wants to heal through us. He wants to love through us. When you are on that boat and the waves and wind is howling, and it feels like it will never end, call a brother and sister. You are calling on Him. And when you get that phone call, you are Jesus in the moment. Not even COVID can stop us from communicating to one another.

In this very moment, people are hurting for a variety of reasons. Take the initiative today, everyone, and reach out to somebody that you haven’t heard from recently, or you know they are hurting, and just call them, or even text them, and pray with them. And if you are hurting, we are here for you, all of us.

It is not just something we can do, it is something we MUST do. It is our calling, all of us!

Peace to you all.