Reflections for July 30, 2010

"It Is Not My Call"

Following a night of severe thunder storms my wife was talking to our five year old granddaughter. She asked, “Did the storms frighten you?”

She replied, “We were out in them and they frightened me some. I said a little prayer asking God to make them stop. Then I thought that is not my call is it?”

It amazes me how, not realizing it, children can be incredibly profound. Her response had no element of fear or frustration over the situation being completely out of her hand. She was content to know it was in God’s hands. I pray that simple sense of trust will follow her and will comfort her when she grows older and the storms of life swirl around her.

Her response brought to my mind a sermon I heard at a pastor’s conference early in my ministry. I can’t remember the preacher’s name but I remember the sermon title, the scripture and the three points he brought forward. The title was “God of the Whirlwind.” His scripture was Nahum 1”3b: “In whirlwind and storm is His way and clouds are the dust beneath His feet (NASB).” His three points were God was before the whirlwind, God was in the whirlwind and God will be there when the whirlwind is over.

It appears to me this is an important message for our generation, since we tend to move from one whirlwind to another. The storms of uncertainty in our country today are blowing hard. It seems to me that the fear and frustration among our people grows with each passing day. Much of this unrest revolves around the economic conditions in the country. For many Christians, the greatest storm is the downward spiral of standards of morality. For others it is the fear brought about by medical problems. The list of possible life crippling whirlwinds could go on forever and still miss the one in your life. Whatever the whirlwind is in your life, I have good news for you.

The good news is found in Nahum 1:7: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him” (NASB). Whatever whirlwind you are encountering today, take a moment and think about three things. One, God is good. Two, God wants to be your stronghold. He wants to care for you. He will either move you beyond the whirlwind or He will give you all you need to weather the storm. Three, while it may appear that everyone around you is oblivious to the storm you battle, God knows you by name. He knows your pain and He wishes to provide you the strength to rise above it.

In the end, it is good for all of us to accept the truth from the mouth of a five year old girl and to realize that some things are not our call, but we can know intimately the one who is in control and He will deliver us from our whirlwinds, if we will trust in Him.