The Eye of the Storm

Having lived through three major hurricanes, Betsy in 1965, Camille in 1969 and Katrina in 2005, I am more than familiar with the destructive nature of these powerful storms and the impact they have on the lives of those in their path. They come ashore with a vengeance, their intense winds and torrential rains leaving utter destruction in their wake.

One thing that has always fascinated me is the eye of these storms. While the outer bands, often extending hundreds of miles in diameter, descend upon their target with incredible force, the eye itself remains calm. As the storm moves in, these bands bring in the wind and rains, their intensity growing stronger with each hour. Then, in an instant, quiet settles in. The winds dies down, the rains abate. The eye is passing over. It is short-lived, however. One doesn't let their guard down. Once the eye has passed, there remains another round of intense winds and rain to weather through on the backside.

Although many may have never experienced the fury of a hurricane, everyone must navigate through the storms of everyday life that assail us on many fronts. We are buffeted on every side with a myriad of issues and problems that scream for our attention. There is hope, though, in the midst of our storms. Jesus (Yeshua) is that hope!. Like the eye of the hurricane, in him is peace and calm. The closer we draw to him, the more peace we have. Psalms 91:1 tells us "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." That is comforting to know.

Yeshua told a parable in Matthew 7:24-25 of those who hear his words and obey them. They are likened to a wise man who builds his house upon a rock: Though the rain descends and the floods come and the winds blow and beat upon that house, it does not fall for it is founded upon a rock.

Through a relationship with Yeshua, we can experience total peace in the midst of our storms. In John 14:27 he tells his followers on the night he was betrayed, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Knowing that, after his death, burial and resurrection, his followers would endure many hardships, he gave them encouragement to see them through. John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

We will experience many storms in this physical sojourn, but Yeshua is the eye in the midst of them all. If we stay in the center of his will, we will experience the peace that passes all understanding.