Tripping Over Typeset

Friends,

This morning, there was some crazy frenzy at my house.

We had an unexpected snow fall that switched our plans at the last-minute. Dave drove Matt to school in his 4 wheel drive truck because for 1.) it was safer than my front-wheel drive and 2.) his truck was already cleaned off and ready to go.  But with this last-minute rush and switch, we forgot a few things… mainly Matt’s snow pants.

Yes, the forecast said there was a chance of snow but when I woke up this morning there was barely a dusting so I was taken off guard when in the 30 minutes before we had to leave the house three inches dumped from the sky and more is on the way!

My weather app sent me this notification alert after Matt was already at school:

AT 8:57 AM EST, A NARROW BAND OF HEAVY SNOW WAS LOCATED….  VISIBILITIES WILL DROP QUICKLY… CONDITIONS CAN DETERIORATE RAPIDLY… BE PREPARED… SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME WHEN TRAVELING

And I thought… that’s exactly how we feel when the unexpected happens in our life… VISIBILITY DROPS QUICKLY… CONDITIONS DETERIORATE RAPIDLY… and it’s hard to slow down when we’re caught in a flurry of frenzy.

This reminds me of when Jesus and his friends headed out on the lake with no storm in sight. They were experienced fishermen who watched the skies and weather signs but as they were out on the water “a furious squall came up.”  The unexpected happened and they were caught by surprise. The waves crashed and their boat was nearly swamped by the water and storm.

Jesus was ASLEEP in the boat and to the disciples, this seemed crazy!!!

• How can He sleep through this chaos?
• Why isn’t He up here helping us hold this together? 
• Is He really that unaware or unconcerned?  

And in the midst of our unexpected we can think the same thing.

• Where is God in all this? 
• Is He even aware of what is going on here? 
• Doesn’t He care that my life is being battered about like a boat on the water?

In our frenzied management of the storm, we can forget that Jesus is with us in the boat.  We can’t always see Him in the storm. And we might become annoyed at His lack of attention to our situation.

When the disciples approached Jesus with their exasperated plea, “Don’t you care that we drown?”  Jesus didn’t retort back or chastise them. Instead He spoke to the situation saying… “Peace! Be still!” The wind died down and the atmosphere grew calm.

Jesus goes on to ask, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

This reminds me of when my kids wake me in the night because of a storm or fear.  I’m not angry or annoyed at them for waking me… well, maybe sometimes I am… but I’m not REALLY angry. Instead I address their fear and assure them that I’m right there with them.

As parents we ask our kids, “Why are you so afraid?”  We’re not chastising them for their lack of understanding or for their fear of things that go bump in the dark. Instead we address their fears, showing them that what they imagine in the dark is not how it is in the light.

Jesus hadn’t left the disciples to face the storm on their own. In fact, He was with them through the whole rocky boat ride.

In our unexpected storm, our visibility can drop quickly. We can forget that even though we don’t see Jesus it doesn’t mean He’s not there.

And sometimes our conditions seem to deteriorate quickly. What seemed manageable just moments before can now seem out of control.

Psalm 107 tells us about some other people troubled in their storm.

They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:27:30) TNIV

In our unexpected storms of life, He meets us in the same way.

When our way is not visible and the conditions seem unmanageable, we can turn to Him. He will calm our hearts and bring peace to our mind.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways look to Him and He will direct your paths.” 

When we meet the unexpected storm, we can find clarity by trusting Him and His direction for our situation.

The storm might not cease immediately but the peace He brings can sustain us through to the end.

Trust Him today, friends, because He does care for you.

You are loved,

Rachel

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