Devotionals

Storm

by Jeff Owenby

I was seven years old on that Thursday of October 12th, when Typhoon Freda, an extratropical storm, hit my hometown of Portland, Oregon. The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 was a terrifying event that turned an average weekday into a maelstrom of catastrophic events. By late afternoon, 80 mph winds tore up the city leaving 17 dead, and hundreds injured. I still remember the night of this storm; outside I heard the winds tearing apart the landscape. It sounded like our roof was coming off. My mother screamed at us to crawl under our bed and stay there. From the floor I heard gravel hitting the house; a piece of debris flew through our living room picture window shattering it; the tree in our neighbor's front yard was ripped from the earth during the squall. It barely missed out car. Come the next morning, the wind had stopped, and all was calm once again.

In Matthew 16 verses 2 & 3 Jesus replies to the Pharisees' and the Sadducees' request that He show them a sign:

2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Just as the religious leaders could not grasp His words, Jesus' own disciples trembled before a storm.
Mark 4:39-40 tells of another terrifying storm: In a boat being tossed on an angry ocean, waves literally spilled into the craft. While men panicked, Jesus slept. He awoke and commanded the sea:

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? These two verses serve to validate the fact that Jesus is our life preserver in a time of trouble!

Father I pray that You will walk with me through the storms of this world and see me through. Often I don't hear, or pay heed to the warning signs; I pray that You will guide me as only You can. Jesus will see us through every storm no matter how great or fierce.