Our nation has experienced many stormy events recently. 9/11 woke us all up. I recall that fateful day. My wife was scheduled for surgery and we had not been watching TV or listening to the radio. When we arrived at the hospital, I remember looking up at the TV and asking someone what movie they were watching. They told me that it was not a movie but it was real. I remember watching the TV in the waiting room and watching in horror as both of the towers fell knowing that thousands of people had just been killed.
Then, there was hurricane Katrina. I remember the visions of people waiting on their roofs for the helicopters to rescue them and the visions of people wading for miles in the mucky water. The devastation cost many people everything they had, everything they had worked for all of their lives.
Now, we face an economic storm. Many people were saving for their retirements through their 401K plans and were counting on the value of their home to appreciate so they could sell it in their golden years and have a nest egg to live out these golden years. These individuals now face the reality that their retirement nest egg has all but disappeared and their home value has drastically declined.
These national storms have affected most of us to one extent of another but we also face personal storms in our lives. It may be the sudden loss of a job, loss of a home, or the loss of savings we were counting on for retirement or a college education for our children. However, no matter how devastating the storm may seem, if we look deep into the storm we may find something good to hang onto.
Ezekiel faced a devastating storm the account of which is recorded in Ezekiel 1. Ezekiel had trained to be a priest but instead of serving God as a priest in the temple in Jerusalem, he found himself living in exile in a garbage dump in Babylon. After five years in exile, a devastating storm comes. This storm was unlike any Ezekiel had seen before. When Ezekiel looked up, he saw four angelic beings who had come to give him a message from the Lord. The message he received was that he was not to be a priest serving God in the Temple but a prophet to the rebellious nation of Israel.
When facing our own personal storms we can learn much from how Ezekiel reacted. First, he looked up right into the eye of the storm. We then need to determine what type of personal storm in which we find ourselves. Is it a storm of correction designed to cause us to turn back to God when we have strayed from his will? Jonah faced such a storm in his life. He refused to follow God’s will by going to Nineveh and after spending three days in the belly of the fish, decided to change direction and obeyed God’s calling on is life by going to Nineveh (Jonah 1-3).
There are also storms of exhibition where God wants to demonstrate his glory and power through us. Peter and the disciples experienced such a storm on the Sea of Galilee. However, Jesus demonstrated his power in the midst of the storm by enabling Peter to walk on the water with him (Matthew 14:22-33). As we face our personal storm, others are watching. Perhaps God is using our storm to demonstrate his power to preserve and rescue us in the midst of the storm.
Finally, there are storms of obstruction. Paul faced many such storms but one in particular occurred as he was sailing to Rome. The ship he was on became shipwrecked in a violent storm. Satan, the enemy did not want Paul to reach Rome for he knew that Paul would preach the Gospel when he arrived (Acts 27). However, The Lord delivered Paul and he reached Rome and began to preach the Gospel to Caesar. Perhaps our personal storm is an attempt by the enemy to prevent us from doing what God has called us to do.
When facing personal storms we must determine what type of storm we are in so we can understand the message God is trying to convey. If it is a storm of correction, we must ask what God wants us to change in our lives. If it is a storm of exhibition, we must remain focused on Jesus and take his hand remembering that when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. Those that are watching us need to see us holding on to Jesus and walking on the water of our storm. If our storm is a storm of obstruction, we must focus on Jesus for he will not give us something to do without providing a way for us to go through the obstacles Satan places in our way.
Whatever storm we face, knowing the type of storm allows us to react in the way God desires. Whatever type of storm we face, the most important thing to do is maintain our focus on the Lord and His Word. Next, seeing God’s glory and how it changes us.
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