Hearing the song “Hurricane†by Natalie Grant and then reading the morning August 31st devotion by Charles H Spurgeon “O Blessed Hurricane!†was providence. I really began to think of how many times my life has seemed like a shipwreck in a bad storm. Yet every time God has rescued me, and rescued me mostly from myself. I was usually the fool who pursued a path that headed straight into a storm.
But then I began to think of the times I could not understand the trials or tribulations. All I could do is call on His name for help. God was always there. He comforted me in pain and sorrow. He showed me the path I should follow.
All of those thoughts drew me to the story of Peter in Matthew 14. He asked Jesus to bid him to come and walk on the water. Peter started out, but he became afraid of the storm and took his eyes off of Christ. Peter had to be in a worse situation to totally depend on Christ. Peter began to sink and he had to cry out to the Lord for salvation. (Matthew 14:25-32)
That story brought me to the words of Spurgeon:
“In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends [a ship about to capsize] and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone!â€
When we are most desperate we need to be most compelled to call on our Lord!
The other part of this is that we have to always and without hesitation trust God to take care of us; even if we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. That is what drew me to the words from Natalie Grant’s song:
“Step out on the edge,
Don’t be afraid of it,
And when you feel the rain,
Call His Name,
He’ll find you in the hurricane.â€
There are always trials and tribulations in our lives. We must always rest in God to carry us through. It all boils down to faith. Our only job is to put our total trust in God and have faith He will get us through – even through a hurricane. We live in Florida after all – it’s a real possibility!