Hurricane Irma is coming barreling towards the Florida Coast like an octogenarian who has just discovered that her neighbor is cheating at bingo. Her wrath has already wiped out dwellings on Antigua and Puerto Rico and now Florida is apparently in her sights.
The news reports are full of stories of the devastation that Irma is capable of and it is not surprising to see images of traffic jams on I-95 going north from Miami. Structures built by humans just don't feel safe in the face of sustained 150 mile an hour winds and many inches of rain.
I suppose it is in times like this that we realize where our faith lies. If our confidence is in buildings, in governments, or even in our own wisdom and resources then a Level 4 Hurricane headed our way will shake our very foundations.
A story comes to my mind of a group of men who were out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a storm blew up. This was in the days before outboard motors and GPS units and in their tiny craft they were out matched. The winds and waves were just too strong. Their skill was not enough to bring the boat ashore and they were in danger of drowning.
It was in this moment that they woke a sleeper. "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
I'm not sure what they expected Jesus to do, maybe sympathize and join their terror. Maybe they just wanted another set of hands to help bail the boat out. What He actually did was to get up and rebuke the storm and all was peaceful.
There are many things that we humans put our trust in, but they all have limits, except for Jesus. When everything is falling apart and Irma has come to call, we need a secure place to stand and someone trustworthy to place our faith in.
Many of the storms we face are never given a name, but Jesus has power over them all. It is only with Jesus that we can have peace and make it through to the other side.
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