in the midst of a Storm - a painful
adventure which challenges me this
way and that - especially when the
outcome is protracted and nebulous
while feeling powerless to confidently
steer my half-sunken vessel into any
of the meager options as anxious
imaginations and vain dreads flash-
flood my battered beliefs as my
repetitive cries for relief and favorable
resolution seem to be disregarded
once again by the Master of my
beleaguered ship as I find myself
fruitlessly striving for Peace by Trusting
that - whatever the outcome and however
prolonged and violent the Storm -
both within and without - He WILL
Calm the Sea...eventually...but in the
meantime as the winds gust and the
rain hammers down and the rolling
waves lash dangerously high then
brutally low...I wait... and wait... for
an answer but only Silence responds
the loudest to my desperate supplications
and I am compelled to ask...Will I
Trust... the One who Trusted while bearing
the Burden of Unending Guilt while
Himself being Infinitely Innocent?...
the One Lone Light in a World Darkened
by Sin?...the One whose Intentional
Submission Bore the Rebellion of the
Masses? reluctantly and without surprise
I once again conclude that my meager
efforts will never be sufficient to reap a
Harvest of Kingdom-Fruit to fill my now
depleted storeroom...that it can ONLY be
by HIS Power / Grace - not by MY Gerbil-
Wheel Striving - that will enable me to...
- Confidently Surrender to His Purposeful
Allowances and the Mysterious Designs
of this Adversity that it is the Best Way
for Him to Achieve His Good Ends in me
even though veiled from sight and arduous
to endure..
- Receive the Balm of Peace and let it
Soothe my fierce reactions and Quiet
my questioning heart
- Join my hidden affliction to the Public
Degradation of His Crucifixion -
a Spectacle of Divine Intervention
undergone for no other reason than
His Extravagant Mercy / Love for me
despite all my habitual self-preoccupation
and pitiful whining - and thus sow
Meaning into my anguish so that I
Become More Like Him and His
Kingdom-Grace is bestowed upon
those for whom I make this Storm a
Sacrificial Offering as I in Trust keep
my eyes fixed on the Master of Mercy
and Rely on the Embrace of His Spirit
to bring about whatever Good He
Desires as well as His Peaceful Calm
to the Storm within and - in His Perfect
Timing - without
Reflection / Discussion:
-What is your experience of being in a Storm?
-What lessons did you learn?
-How did the Lord use it in your life?
-How do faith and feelings differ . intermingle in a Storm?
-Why is Grace the key to unlocking the mystery of suffering?
-What does "Redemptive Suffering" mean?
-How can you be a support for someone you love who is going
through a Storm?
