A tremendous storm called Olivia was supposed to hit the Hawaiian islands while we were there this week. One day before it was projected to arrive on the islands, we returned to our favorite little beach cove. Yes, the one with the deep waterway connected to the second, more deserted beach.
We ventured to the other side of the island. Parked our car. Trekked to the water. Then stunned in our tracks. Behold…..a sight we had never experienced before. Remember that deep waterway? It was dry as a bone. The sandy bottom of that water way was completely exposed. Strip naked of any bit of water. Quite a shock. In 6 years of coming to that beach, we had never seen this before.
And then we remembered the pending tempest Olivia coming towards the Hawaiian islands.
Apparently, this dry waterway was the work of storm Olivia. Olivia had swept the water out of the waterway, a consequence of its strong, powerful suction in the ocean.
The day was still sweet and sunny, and typical of any Hawaiian paradise day. Indeed that storm was still far away. But it had manifested itself ahead of time. The storm had pulled and captured all the water from the waterway as a harbinger of its coming appearance on the island.
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Storms come in different packages. And most of the time, storms don’t give grace. Instead, take greatly.
<They don’t calm. They capsize.
<They don’t cater. They cancel.
<They don’t care. They capture.
<They don’t concern. They crash.
<They don’t comfort. They crush.
Spiritual storms in our lives mimic these devastations. They will pull, pain, and pulverize the desires, dreams, and decisions significant to you.
<Storms don’t build you up. They specialize in bullying away.
<Storms don’t beautify the inside and outside of who you are. They specialize in battering asunder.
<Storms don’t better who you are striving to become. They specialize in breaking apart.
But remember this…..storms don’t live forever. Storms mitigate and meander off. Eventually, they lose the power to damage and drown us. And once the storm is over, life will resume. And rev on. And the streams of water will return. And the deep waterways that leave joy and lead you to greater truths will return to revive again.
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Jesus can rebuild what storms tear down. That’s His specialty. When storms rain disappointment and disaster, this is Jesus’ rescue reply: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Jesus makes a way in the storms of our life to restore truths that storms demolish. Jesus mines truth in the storms to speak life where storms wrought death. And Jesus meets us in truth in a life relationship with Him inside our storm to recover what the storm destroyed. What storms disconnect, Jesus reconnects.
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Beloved, Jesus is a giver, not a taker in a storm. He is a grower, not a tormenter in a storm. He is a gatherer, not a traitor in a storm. Jesus is ready to give you hope, grow you deeper, and gather you up in His arms to secure you in the storms.
Storm, you have no power over Jesus. Ask Jesus to take over that overwhelming tempest brewing in your life. Let him overcome. Hold on to that Real Truth today.
Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.
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