Storm Relief

Storms come in all kinds of ways. Jesus demonstrated his ability to calm the winds at his command. The storms we often find ourselves in need of calming are not always of the meteorological variety. Yet, our Lord is our best hope for finding calm in those storms as well.

Some storms are of our own making. We fret or fume about things or events or expectations that in one way or another were not in accord with our wishes. I’m sure the president felt a little storm tossed by the circumstances and critics of this past week. The natural disaster zone that the Gulf Coast presented sent multitudes of people into traumatic circumstances that overturned their expectations, plans, and preconceived ideas of the future. Yet, our Lord is the best hope for finding help in the midst of such horrific experiences.

We turn to government, world leaders, community helping agencies, and the local church to seek out help for times of despair and danger. Communities that have strong relational capacities to identify persons, to know their needs, and to offer resources for meeting those needs have been the most efficient centers of help in times of disaster. At the same time, such networks of support often falter in the context of more personal storms, like divorce, the death of parent or spouse, the trauma of a child in prison, dealing with mental illness, or suffering bankruptcy or business failure. The reason for many failing to find help in the midst of these “personal storms” lies in the natural tendency we have been taught by our culture to “keep such things private.” Individualism in America is a strong cultural tradition. At the same time it is not individualism that has been the bedrock of progress or the strength of our generation. The strength has come in the willingness of those sharing in community to recognize the necessity of sharing together in overcoming life’s storms. And in the community we call church, there is the center that is our resource, Jesus Christ our Lord. In Him we share our identity. In Him we acknowledge our Savior. In Him we confront our sin and find forgiveness. In Him we move from our darkness into the light of His truth and righteousness and love. Jesus was no stranger to storms. He faced them in every place that he took the Good News of God’s truth and love. He confronted bigotry, political schemers, hypocrisy, prejudice, disease, poverty, world powers, religious zealots, and the commercial interests of his day. He confronted them all with love, with truth, and with the witness of his touch, his healing, and his divine wisdom. His peace was his gift to those who had ears to hear, faith to believe, and hearts to trust and follow Him. Jesus is still our best hope for finding help in the midst of the storms.