Saturday, March 3, 2012

Look Into Your Storm

I was deeply saddened by the recent news of the devastion throughout the United States brought by terrible storms ravaging the land. The pictures alone were enough to melt even the hardest hearts.... Then God took me to the book of Ezekiel. I read the first two chapters the start of which had Ezekiel standing by the Kebar river with the exiles when there came a powerful storm:


Ezekiel 1:4 "I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal....."


Storms are not new. This world and its inhabitants have been plagued by storms since the beginning of time. How we weather the storm; however, changes with our seasons. Ezekiel chose to do something I don't know that I could choose... He looked. He looked into the storm; and, as I read on, I noticed he looked past the storm.


When he chose to look to and then past the storm, the Heavens opened up and he saw the glory of God ~ Ezekiel 1:26-28 "Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be His waist up He looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down He looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking..."


Then the Spirit picked him up and stood him up... and God said do not fear.


In our lives, we will face storms. We can choose to hide and hope in our own devices to protect us; or we can look past our storm where we will see the glory of a mighty, loving God. A God who tells us to fear not because He is in control and has the power to calm even the raging winds and hush the fiercest waves ~ Psalm 107:9 " He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed."

My God, may I always remember to look past the temporary storms of this life and see the glory of Your Presence. May I feel Your strong arms picking me up and standing me up. May I always hear Your voice telling me to "fear not!" I know you are in control.