“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b NIV
Our city got hit with a raging thunderstorm the other night, featuring drenching rain, hail, and winds as strong as a Category II hurricane. But it was the lightning that got to me. Constant flashes and booming thunder increased until one struck right next to our house. The power surge tripped some of our circuit breakers, fried our router, and even sent our smoke alarms into a tizzy for a couple seconds. My wife and I had hairs standing on end that had nothing to do with the electrical charge in the air. The storm was getting more intense; would another bolt strike even closer? There was a smell like burning or ozone in the air. What had it done to our house? Was there an electrical fire somewhere in our walls? Was that smell something toxic in the air?
And yet, through all the chaos, one member of our household was fast asleep: our three-year- old. He was in the deep slumber that comes only to someone who is utterly convinced that everything is under control and there’s nothing to worry about. As I went into his room to make sure he was still alive, I saw how peacefully he lay there. I wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon. I might have had that kind of peace and serenity when I was his age, but not anymore. Is this just something that we outgrow?
Well, I know one person who maintained that sense of peace and confidence: Jesus. I’d bet the storm He slept through was at least as intense as the one I experienced, and he did it in a small boat that was tossed about on the waves to the point where the seasoned sailors aboard feared for their lives. Where did Jesus’ sense of peace come from? Exhaustion from the duties of his ministry? That was no doubt part of it. But I’m sure that just as my son was sure that he could sleep easily knowing his mama and dada had everything under control, Jesus also slumbered knowing that His heavenly Father was watching over Him. And unlike my son, Jesus’ faith was grounded in the truth. I’m going to keep seeking out that peace so the next time storms blow, I’ll have something that can’t be tossed by the waves or vaporized by lightning.
Prayer: God, grant me the faith to trust You no matter what, knowing that anything that comes my way has to get through Your hands first and that there’s nothing You won’t do for the good of those You love.
~ Cameron Miller, writer
~ Rhonda Bailey, photographer
