Light Around the Storm

I was driving to my church one Wednesday night and I suddenly realized that their was a mass of dark storm clouds. They appeared to be directly in front of me - right in the middle of my path. Although the whole sky was not dark, the darkness captured my attention and my anxiety rose at the thought of driving in a downpour. I panicked and called my mom to see if she could check the weather while I was driving.

At first, I was intent on describing the dark storm to my mom but, suddenly, I found myself admitting: “…but there IS light around it.” There was light around it. God was reminding me that I can always see His light around the edges of every storm I face. Each storm comes from His sovereign hand and He always gets us through them and, ultimately, uses them for good and for His glory.

As it turned out, the storm was not actually in the center of my path. As I drove on, it soon appeared to be next to me. The real center of my path was the light. The real center of my path is the Lord. The enemy makes us think that the storm is our central focus because he knows that diverts our attention from God. In reality, however, the storm is only a side element - a tool that God uses to make us more like Him - not the final destination. The more we focus on fighting and dealing with the storm, the more we are drawn onto side roads that lead away from the straight path that leads to God. But when we look for God’s hand - for those ‘Ebenezer stones’ -, when we know there is light and commit to looking for it even when it appears completely dark, it brings our focus back to God - to the way that leads to life.

When Christ was on the cross, it was the darkest day the world had ever seen. But those whose hearts stayed committed to Christ - even though they thought all was lost - later experienced a spiritual light that was brighter than anything they ever could have imagined - the Light of Christ! What meaning Scripture passages like Psalm 27:1 must have held for them: “The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?” (NIV)