When the wind rises and the rain slants hard against the glass, it is very natural for the heart to feel small and frightened. A storm has a way of reminding us how little we are, how little control we truly have. And yet the very breath that shakes the trees is breathing from the hand of your Father. You have not been left to the mercy of the elements, dear soul, every gust is under orders from the throne, and no drop of water falls but by His permission. The wind that terrifies you is only a creature; your Saviour made it, and He can hush it with a word.
Think of Him who slept in the hinder part of the ship while the waves beat in and the disciples cried out in fear. He was not ignorant of the danger, nor indifferent, He was resting in the unshaken confidence that all was held fast by the will of His Father. And when He awoke, He did not merely soothe His friends; He spoke to the wind and the waves as a master speaks to a servant, and there was a great calm. That same Jesus is at the right hand of God today, and His arm is not shortened. The wind is still His servant, and He holds the waters in the hollow of His hand.
You have done the very best thing, in crying to Him. Your prayer, sent up in the name of Jesus, has not been lost in the roar of the tempest. It has entered into the ear of the Lord of Hosts. He is a sure refuge, a shelter that cannot be swept away. I would have you picture the safety of the ark, in the days of Noah. The flood came, and the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all that was outside the ark perished. Learned men and simple folk, rich and poor alike, were swept away. But inside the ark, ah, there was peace! The same storm that destroyed the world only lifted that vessel higher toward heaven. So it is with every soul that is hidden in Christ Jesus. The storm may rage, but it cannot touch the one who is in Him. He bore the fury of the tempest for us, that we might find in His wounds a hiding place.
Do not let the noise of this weather rob you of your inward peace. It is a mercy that such trials come, for they serve to loosen our grip on this perishing world and fix our hope more firmly upon the world to come. If we never had a rough wind we would forget that we are pilgrims and begin to build our nest here below. The east wind is a bitter thing while it lasts, but it often drives the soul to seek a warmer and more sheltered spot in the heart of Christ. He is "a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest." You may hear the roar and feel the house tremble, but underneath you are the everlasting arms. No real harm can befall those who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
I pray now, that the Lord Jesus, who calmed the Sea of Galilee with His word, would speak peace to these winds and rains. Into His dear hand I commend you, and all those who are in the path of this storm. May He give His angels charge over every home and every life, and bring the tempest to a quiet end. And beyond all this, may you and each one sheltered by His grace find that even in the darkest hour, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keeps your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Amen.