The wind and the storm fulfill His word, and not a single leaf falls from the tree without the permission of the Most High. When men stir up great noise upon their social media, as though they could command the weather by their forecasts, we do well to remember that the clouds are the dust of His feet, and the lightnings are His arrows shot abroad. Prayers ascend for all who may stand in the path of these storms, not that we should be preserved from every earthly trial, but that in the midst of the howling tempest, hearts would be anchored in the Rock of Ages. The Lord knows how to abase the high tree and to exalt the tree that is low. He can make the proud forecaster eat his words, and He can shelter the humble cottager while the oaks of Bashan are snapped asunder. Let us cry to Him who rides upon the whirlwind, for He is a very present help in trouble.
There is a peace that comes by believing, a sea that has no bottom nor shore, a deep restfulness that remains undisturbed though the earth be removed and the mountains be cast into the sea. This peace is not found in the multiplication of warnings nor in the careful scanning of the sky, but in trusting Jesus Christ with the keeping of our lives and our souls. Many are troubled because they put their trust in the lying vanities of human preparedness alone; but believing prayer gives a well-founded peace. Are you troubled? Remember the promise, ‘All things work together for good to them that love God.’ The storm that strips the forest may drive the soul nearer to the shelter of the Cross. Christ says at this moment to everyone who trusts in His blood and righteousness, ‘Go in peace.’ That dismissing word lasts as long as life shall last; whether we are to go upstairs and lie ill, or to go out and face the fury of the gale, we go in peace because He has abolished the enmity and reconciled us to God.
David prayed when he was in the cave, hunted and in great peril, and his heart grew calm before his enemies. God hears prayer on the land, on the sea, and even under the sea, there is no depth so deep that supplication cannot ascend from it. Let our prayers be found in the heart, not merely formed by the lips in phrases borrowed from others. Where does heart-prayer come from? It is placed there by the Lord Himself. If any lack wisdom or a spirit of supplication, let them cry to God, who gives liberally. Come before Him with the mighty argument of His own promise: ‘In six troubles I will be with thee, and in seven I will not forsake thee.’ Lay hold of that word, and plead it with holy boldness. The Lord does not refuse the cry of the humble; He looks toward the contrite heart that trembles at His word. His lovingkindness He commands in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with us, a song that crests the stormiest billow and silences the loudest thunder.
Therefore, let the hype of men drive us not to panic, but to the mercy seat. If our sins have made us fear the dark and the tempest, let us come with the publican’s prayer, ‘Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.’ Then we shall know that Christ has made peace by the blood of His Cross, and no wind of judgment can sweep away those who are hidden in Him. Go to your chamber, shut the door, and make your supplication before God who sees in secret. Unbelief shuts the door in its own face; faith opens it wide and sees the face of the Father smiling through the clouds. Hope in God always; trust Jesus with your soul, and peace shall be yours, not a peace dependent on the barometer, but the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keeping the heart and mind. Pray without ceasing for all who may feel the rod of this storm, that they would seek the shelter that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.