Safe
Harbor
By Tracy Smith
Almost seven years ago, the town my
sister’s family and my parents live in was hit by a tornado. My dad’s neighbor
enjoys watching storms and told my dad he was watching the storm without fear
until he saw the large pine trees in my dad’s yard bend and touch the ground
then immediately bend and touch the
ground on the opposite side! At that
point, he knew it was time to get in the basement! No more time for watching,
it was time to seek shelter. [1]
We all have those times in our
life - - when we feel storm-tossed and know we need to
find a safe harbor. The storms vary in intensity and strength, but all involve
change and uncertainty and we need to find the calm in the storm.
Where do we go to seek shelter?
If you read Mark 4:35-41, the
disciples and Jesus are caught in a storm while on a boat. The disciples are
scared and afraid they are going to die. In their fear, they wake up Jesus and
He commands the winds and waves to be still.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul
shares that he pleaded with the Lord three times to remove a “thorn of his
flesh.” Something that tormented him; something Paul really just wanted gone
from his life. The Lord did not remove this storm from Paul’s life but
declared, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
These examples show that sometimes
the Lord chooses to calm the storm and sometimes he wants you to remember to cling
to Him through the storm - - for His
strength to be sufficient for you.
Either way, He is there and He is your safe harbor through the tides of
change.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Do you see Jesus as a safe harbor in
the storm? If not, please read the Scripture listed in this devotional or do
your own Google search for verses. Pray about what you read.
2.
Think of a time in your past when
you felt storm-tossed. With the perspective of time, how do you now see that
God was with you through it all?
FURTHER READING:
Along with being
a wife and mother to two teenage sons, Tracy is a ministry assistant at Oakwood
and works with a great group of Junior High girls.
[1] to see pictures of the damage Eagle, WI sustained in the
tornado, click here.
