Storms come often in this life. Some last for a few minutes, while others are hurricanes that last for months or even years. You are caught asking, begging, yelling: “Where the hell are You?” “Why am I alone?” “I know You’re here, so where are You?” It is in these times, the harshest, the angriest, the most heartbroken places, that I tend to agree with C. S. Lewis. Lewis, an Oxford scholar and accidental defender of the faith, wrote, “We are like a drowning man trying to save himself while the lifeguard is right next, only able to save us when we give up trying to save ourselves” in his book A Grief Observed. I often believe that the storms in this life are like the storm that Peter walked in the midst of. God never left Peter, He was always right next to him, but He told Peter to walk to Him boldly, trusting that so long as Peter kept focused on Him, then Peter would not drown. Peter was told to walk in the storm “alone” but only as alone as a child grocery shopping with his parents. Dad may let go of your hand to push the cart with both hands, but that doesn’t mean the child is abandoned.
We are not strong enough to calm the storm in us, but fatefully plant your eyes on the Eternal, All-Powerful, Creator God of the Universe that wills all things into existence, and the power of the storm will begin to fade
“Be the man that I planted. My warrior in the sea. In your ocean death devours but you will brace the stormy sea. You won’t be abandoned, but I will not intercede. Instead, you must look past them, and set your eyes eternally on Me.”
— Oh Sleeper, “Two ships”, BLOODIED / UNBOWED