In The Eye Of The Storm

For three years of my life, I had the privilege of living on the Island of Okinawa. During that time, I experienced three typhoons. Typhoons are the Pacific Oceans version of hurricanes. Now, Okinawa is approximately 66miles long and an average of 7 miles wide. So, when the typhoon warnings begin, the only thing to do is to tie down the outside trashcans, tape up the windows, fill the bathtub with water, and hopefully, you already have some food stocked away. Then, you wait and ride out the storm.
 
One of the three typhoons directly hit the island, going completely over it. The most violent part of the storm is right next to the center or eye of the storm. The closer the eye got to the island, the darker it became, the harder the wind blew, the rain pounded and came down sideways. Then the eye of the storm went over the island.
 
One moment the storm was raging; the next moment EVERYTHING, went still. No more rain, wind, no more clouds, and the sun came out. The calm was as loud as the storm. It was kind of eerie and comforting at the same time. It was incredibly peaceful.
 
God sent His one and only Son into the world to bring peace. On the night Jesus was born, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests,” Luke 2:14. Peace is not the absence of war, strife, or storms. True peace means there is nothing missing, nothing broken. You are complete, sound; you have well-being and security. There was a time when each of us was without hope and without God in the world. But now, as Christ-followers, we are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. Jesus is our peace (see Ephesians 2:11-22).
 
In John 14:27, Jesus told His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” And again in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
 
We experience perfect peace as we fix our daily thoughts on Jesus and trust Him. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you,” Isaiah 26:3. When we turn our anxiety and fear into prayers, God’s peace protects our hearts and minds. Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
 
No matter what life throws your way, allow Jesus to keep you in the “eye of the storm,” where there is nothing missing and nothing broken. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
1 Thessalonians 5:23.
 
Pastor Tom

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