EYE OF THE HURRICANE

by: Carole L. Haines

I woke up to the smell of fish last night, 3:39 in the morning. Not fish cooking, but the smell of an ocean breeze wafting through my bedroom window. Lightning was flashing, rain was pouring down. Ida was here. I looked at my phone to see where she was on Weather Radar. The eye was passing right over my house. I got up and went outside on the front screened porch. I just sat there amazed at its power, its fierce beauty, its force. It was an unbelievable experience. The wind was blowing everything sideways, trees, my screen shelter, and the rain. I could see the wind, hear it, and feel it. It was absolutely stunning to stand out there in that and feel the mist upon my face, as if I was standing on the beach. The Ocean brought inland, to my door. It was awe-inspiring, frightening, overwhelming. Within half an hour, all was calm again. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for our precious people down in The Gulf States. 

I pictured the apostles in a boat being driven by fierce winds and engulfed in mighty waves. 

²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:24-27) 

“You of little faith.” those words resounded in my head a few days ago as circumstances went from bad to worse on Monday. I am not going to share the details, but it involved the mail, the DMV, the IRS and a toll booth. Wave after wave rolled over us, one bad thing after another, so that Bruce and I felt decimated by the end of the day, just flattened. I started to worry and heard those words of Jesus begin to pop up, “O you of little faith.” So, I started praying instead. I just poured out my heart before the only one who could make the storm stop and calm my soul. This storm was a fierce hurricane blowing through and leaving devastation in its wake.  

But Jesus calmed my heart, and I know He will work out all the details to turn things around and set the Haines Boat steady once again. He is Lord of the Storm and The Rock upon which we have built our lives. We have seen Him rescue us through much fiercer storms than this. I know you all can relate. We all have days of Storm, eyes of a Hurricane blowing through like a wrecking ball in our lives. But if Jesus is the Rock upon whom you have built your life, you will weather it, you will come through, you will stand. Look to Him Dear Believer, lean hard into Him. Let Him lead you through the rough gales, the pounding waves and the mighty rain blowing through your own life right now. Rest in His unfailing love, Dear Believer.

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)