“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107: 28-30)
My heart goes out to all of the victims of Hurricane Ian, especially to the folks in Florida who lost loved ones, pets, homes, businesses…I am happy to say my parents, who have a residence in hard-hit Fort Myers, Florida, were fortunately in Maryland this time. I also feel lucky that I had a chance to go with them to Fort Myers this past spring. I remember being on deadline with my book, The Wise Man, and complaining that I had to pull a few late nights to get the final proofs to my publisher…but now realize it was all worth it. Funny how we look at things differently in hindsight.
I believe we can also look at things with a positive perspective when we read the Bible, which is chock full of stories about how God has been there to pull people through many storms time and again…both literal or physical storms and figurative or emotional, spiritual ones, which can seem just as perilous. I myself went through a storm of anxiety and doubt this past year and feel like I’m finally coming out of it and experiencing the calm, the sunlight again…the warmth of faith, hope, gratitude and love that I feel only when I strive to pray more, read the Bible, open my heart and rely on God’s strength – and realize He was there all along.
Sometimes you just have to wait out the eye of the storm though. As Bill Wilson, author of the book Alcoholics Anonymous, says, “pain is the touchstone of progress.” He experienced much anxiety and depression in his lifetime, but also had a spiritual awakening that led to the foundation of a recovery program that has saved millions of people.
For all suffering from the storms of life, I pray you swiftly find the calm after the storm through He who strengthens us.
