Storms with a Message

Meticulous preparations had been made. A great army had been assembled, armed with state-of-the-art weaponry. The plans seemed perfect. Guided by powerful satellites, the forces were ready. Then, suddenly, everything came to a stop.

A reporter on the scene described how the region was hit by “the most intense sandstorm I have ever experienced.” The change was dramatic. Gradually, visibility diminished until “you couldn’t see more than a few yards ahead of you.”

All the weaponry was helpless in the face of this natural assault. And all the “satellite technology, at the cutting edge of science, was helpless, blind in the face of the climate of this wild land.”

Moments like these are reminders of the limits of our human efforts. Moments when we experience lightning and floods. Hurricanes and blizzards. The wind and water. Scorching heat from the sun or frozen ice.

The Bible provides us examples of how God used storms to accomplish His purposes. When He wanted the Pharaoh to let His people go, Egypt experienced its “worst storm” (Exodus 9:24). When Jonah thought he could run away from God, He got his attention by sending a storm so violent “that the ship threatened to break up” (Jonah 1:4). Isaiah described a time when God would come with natural forces, including thunder, earthquake, windstorm, tempest, and “a devouring fire.”

Storms may come into our lives to deliver a message. To get our attention. To humble us. To remind us why we need to depend on God. But they also can be part of the attacks of our enemies, trying to confuse or stop us.

The Bible reminds us that “in the day of trouble,” God can hide us and set us “high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5). That as we dwell in His presence,

we can rest in Him (Psalm 91:1). Confident. At peace.