Food for the Journey
July 29, 2021
Devotion
by Pastoral Associate Ann Beck
How many thunderstorms have swept through our area this last week? The oppressive air, low clouds, the sudden eerie calm and then the building drama of wind, rain, thunder and lightning have beleaguered these last July evenings. Last Friday as I tried to relax and enjoy the Olympic Opening Ceremony on TV, the flickering power and booming thunder was a reminder of the potential threat and I was unable to rest, gathering emergency “stuff” around me, ready for a dash to the basement. By the time the 2nd storm rolled in that weekend, the stuff was ready-packed in bag by the couch, and deck plants were safely tucked away. I was prepared! and yet still somehow unsettled, and kept myself busily distracted throughout the storm. Monday night was the fiercest yet. As the driving rain whipped and pummeled the western facing windows, so heavy it nearly obstructed the view of the wild lightning blasts across the darkened horizon, the electrical tension of the air was as palpable as the emotional state inside. Was this the time to grab the bag and head downstairs?
I’m not sure why, but on this night the storm’s power held me transfixed, with an almost surrendering to the awesome wonder of it. There was danger out there, to be sure – and many sadly experienced damages and power outage. But as nature’s outrageous sound and light show dominated and threatened outside, a sudden quietness stilled my heart. And in that quiet, unspoken words were felt:
Peace, be still.
The music of the familiar Taize song played in my mind, “Peace, be still. Peace, be still. The storm rages; peace, be still”
What an unexpected gift, a sudden knowing. God is in the storm, and in the calm. Peace and security isn’t found stuffed in an emergency bag, but is held in love by the One who is forever present, whatever we are experiencing in life.
And while we may struggle to be still and open while the storm rages, sometimes God offers a glorious reminder, such as in the brilliant last rays of sunset bursting behind the dissipating clouds.
Creator God, grant that our senses be open to see, hear and feel your presence around us, today and always. Amen