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Articles
The Eye of The Hurricane
In 2004, while living in Florida, I experienced something that as a native Tennessean I had never seen… hurricane season. That year 4 major hurricanes swept through the state of Florida. As you can imagine I learned a lot about how to prepare and “weather the storm” (pun intended). Through that experience, one of the most fascinating experiences was being in the eye of the hurricane. I agree with a refrain I have heard in a lyric that says, “here comes the sun, here comes the rain, standing in the eye of a hurricane.” It is an eerie feeling to be engulfed by darkness, straight-line winds, heavy rain and then seemingly out of nowhere – find a respite of peace. Of course, the eye of the hurricane will only last so long until the effects of the storm are once again felt.
With recent events in our country bringing this to the forefront of my mind, I can’t help but to think about our Lord and the spiritual applications. Psalm 121 says, “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. 8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.” Of course, the context is spiritual in nature, not a promise to keep us from all physical harm. What a wonderfully encouraging Scripture to dwell on. To know that when we feel we are in the middle of the raging battle of temptation and living in such a sinful world, that our Lord remembers us, protects us and promises to keep us from this time forth and forever.
Sometimes our daily lives do not feel protected or guarded. However, the spiritual promises we have should help our souls find calm and peace in our eye of the storm, the Lord. As Hebrew 13:6 says, “so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”” I may not know what you are going through today, but I want to encourage you to continue to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). Remember as the storms of life overwhelm us, we can always find peace and comfort by reading the Scriptures and speaking to God in prayer. John 16:33 Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” May we remember that even though our lives will encounter tribulation, we have a Savior that has already overcome evil and has been raised and He promises to return to raise us with Him. That alone should provide us with a calm, like the eye of the hurricane, even when we know the storms of life are waiting for us just around the corner.
