In the eye of the storm

“A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” (Isaiah 32:2, NKJV)

Isaiah talks about a future where Israel will turn back to the One they have “deeply revolted” against. In that time, a king will “reign in righteousness” and princes will rule with justice. Christians have associated this verse to mean Jesus as the “Rock in a weary land” yet the verse seems to indicate good and righteous leaders who will be like Christ to the people. They are not the Rock who is Christ but “as the shadow of a great rock” and like Christ to those who are looking for refuge from the storms of life.

On our vacation we listened to Debbie Zepick’s CD. One song offers a word picture with the line, “In the eye of the storm there is peace.” It brought to mind those satellite photos of last year’s hurricanes in Florida. Our daughter was in Tampa during the big one that hit that city, and when I looked at the pictures of the storm, my heart lumped in my throat. That huge storm, covering the entire state, swirled around an eye that looked as evil as the clouds and wind encasing it, but the eye is the place of rest. If a city or a person could move with the eye, they would never experience the havoc of the storm.

Thanks to the Rock, thanks to those who are praying and encouraging us and acting as the shadow of that great Rock, we are hidden and covered in the eye of the storm. The peace of God is an amazing and awesome thing.

Another amazement is how God grabs my thinking and directs it to solid ideas instead of the frenzied fears that might happen. We’ve talked about mortality with family and friends as it is described in Scripture, not as humans sometimes foolishly think—that we will be here forever. Odd how that works. Everyone will die. That is a given. Not everyone knows where or when or even how, but most people push it away and live as if it will not happen. Stories are written about the notion “if you only had one day (or week or month or year) to live, what would change?” Lots.

My value system is going through a metamorphosis. I’m suddenly finding myself totally uninterested in trivia and details that previously would distract me for hours. Sorting out the to-do list is now easier. Wanting to be a hiding place and a cool drink for others makes more sense.

Bad news like “Guess what, you are going to be hit by a truck someday” is actually a reality check. As my husband always tells people, we are all terminal. Instead of the ‘practical atheism’ that lives as if it were not true, it’s far better to live with it in mind. We suddenly have found ourselves in that place—and are surprised that it is also the eye of the storm.