God in the Storm

Sometimes stuff happens, and it is not our fault.  We didn’t sin. As far as we know we haven’t mistreated anybody. But something went wrong, something hit the fan and we have been caught in the ugly mess.  It doesn’t seem fair. When David found himself on the end of King Saul’s insane jealousy (and almost on the end of a spear), he asked “What is my crime?”. That reminds us of another time someone was arrested and punished with no evidence of wrongdoing. “What crime has he committed?”, asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” (Matt 27: 23) Sometimes people are innocent, but the storms still rage against them. For us as believers and followers of Jesus, it is part of living in a fallen world. A world tainted by sin and occupied by humans who are “dead in their transgressions and sins” (Eph 2: 1). It is also part of being on a journey toward the Kingdom of God and Christlikeness.  I came across this phrase: God uses the storm to form and transform. If we are willing, God will use the storms of life, to form Christ in our hearts and transform us from disobedient sinners to willing saints. From lost sheep to men and women of faith.  After King Saul tried to kill David, the young man ran for his life. And tough times followed – there were tears and there was loneliness, fear, temptation, and anger. Being pinned to a wall by a spear was only the beginning of David’s problems.  But in those early years before becoming king, David sought to do what was right. To obey God and trust God. For example, he refused to retaliate against Saul when the King tried to kill him, numerous times. In his early days of being on the run, he instinctively ran towards communion with God. Psalm 57 reveals the prayers of the young man hiding in the cave of Adullam, expressing praise and faith in the Lord’s power and might.  What drove David to lean towards good choices, towards righteous decisions, even when the storms hit him at that time? Perhaps a clue is found in his attitude. The attitude that says, ‘I will keep my integrity (through this difficult time), I will not pay back evil for evil, but I will put my trust in God’. No wonder some say David is a shadow, a forerunner, a type of Christ. When we think of Jesus, the Apostle Peter wrote to the churches, Jesus “committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter2: 22 – 23) Jesus was the perfect fulfilment of the king who had a heart after God, who in the storm of betrayal cast his hope in the greatness and faithfulness of the living God. Next time you face a storm, remember that God is in it. In fact, God uses the storm to form and transform.