Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

The wind is picking up, thunder is rolling through the surrounding hills, and the air is crackling with electricity. A storm is brewing and it looks to be a big one. We, here in the Ozarks, are no strangers to violent storms and this year has been a particularly busy one. Wind and hail have ravaged homes, taken lives, and left behind a weariness in many of us. The sound of storm sirens became all too familiar. We wondered if our property would survive the onslaught. In the aftermath, there were tree limbs to cut up and remove, sometimes entire trees were uprooted and toppled on homes and cars. And, of course, homes were often left without power, a state most of us find quite disconcerting. If we’re thinking ahead, there’ll be bottled water, non-perishable food, and batteries squirreled away for just such emergencies.

Also in the aftermath, we found the comradery of neighbors, working together on the clean-up and sharing what food we had before it spoiled. It’s amazing how people come together in times of trouble and offer help and hope to one another. I’ve felt a peace about our storms knowing that there are people around us that we can count on.

As soon as the initial clean-up is complete, we see signs of repair and rebuilding. Many of the homes in our neighborhood have new roofs, courtesy of hail damage…ours is waiting to be replaced now. Perhaps there’s a silver lining in there somewhere.

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Psalm 94:19 NLT

Our nation experienced a storm of a different kind on September 11, 2001. Two commercial jets were deliberately flown into the World Trade Center in New York City with devastating results. Another struck the Pentagon in Washington DC, also inflicting great damage. A fourth was forced to the ground in an empty field in Pennsylvania, once it became clear to the pilots that they were doomed and that a group of passengers, having been made aware of the other attacks, determined their plane would harm no one but them.

Two groups of people, all believing in God, all sharing a common ancestor in Abraham, yet one group lives a life based solely on Old Testament traditions, while the other puts its faith and trust in a simple man from Galilee, who rewrote history with His birth, life, death, and resurrection. We are what is known by some as “the Jesus problem,” one that needs to be eradicated, but He won’t let that happen.

We know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Hebrews 2:16

Let that verse sink in. Jesus came to help all the descendants of Abraham if we will let Him. We find our peace amid a storm that has been raging between believers and non-believers for over two thousand years and that same peace is available to us in every storm we face today. When we remain focused on Jesus, and keep our eyes and hearts trained on Him, the storm may keep raging around us, but we will rest in a cocoon of His protection. We can get through anything with Jesus by our side. Remember Peter walked on the water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. It was only when he lost his focus that he began to sink.

Pastor Sarah recently told us, we need to question whether or not Jesus is in control of every aspect of our lives. If you’re experiencing a life storm right now, please take a moment and talk with my Jesus. Open your heart to Him and he’ll open His arms to you.

Nor’easters (storms) bear down on the best of us. Contrary winds. Crashing waves. They come. But Jesus still catches his children. He still extends his arms. He still sends his angels. Because you belong to him, you can have peace in the storm. Max Lucado, Anxious for Nothing