In the eye of the storm

This has been a tough journey so far. Thirty seven chapters of unrelenting intensity. A tense conversation backwards and forwards between a suffering Job and his well-meaning friends.

And now we come to this. This is what we have been waiting for. God speaks. He speaks in a beautiful poem directed at His man Job. Read it. I urge you to read it. If you don’t have a Bible to hand, read Job chapter 38 and Job chapter 39 via this link. It will blow your mind.

‘Out of the storm’, God speaks to Job. The Message puts it like this –

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm.  Job 38:1

The eye of the storm is an eerie place. A place of calm at the centre of a violent storm. While the storm rages all round, there is peace. There is a knowledge that the storm will return soon enough, but it’s a moment of respite, a moment to catch your breath, a moment to regroup and gain perspective.

Maybe it was an actual storm. Elihu had been talking about the strength of God as displayed by the power of thunder and lightning in the previous chapter. Or maybe this actual storm represented Job’s inner turmoil. Job had certainly been facing a personal storm, He was caught up in a whirlwind of suffering. And now God speaks to him from the eye of the storm. He invites Job to ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ The eye of the storm feels like an unnatural place. A place of rest while the storm is raging all around. But it can be a supernatural place. A place of God’s peace where we can rest in His presence for a while to catch our breath, regroup and gain perspective.

When things are tough, we have a habit of avoiding being still. We like to keep busy. To avoid thinking. And yet in the eye of the storm, that is the time that God invites us to ‘Be still and know that I am God.’

I have been living in a whirlwind of activity this month. A whirlwind of my own making. At the beginning of February, I planned in lots of lovely things – trips and arrangements with friends – and knew this would be a mad month. And then my Dad had a fall and has been in hospital all month, so I’ve had to fit in trips to see him. And then I suffered with various illnesses, which have meant I haven’t slept well and definitely haven’t been at my best. It’s been crazy. I have not stopped. Not suffering like Job, I know that. Not really suffering at all. But too busy. Yes, I admit it. Too busy. I’ve taken on too much. With no sign of it letting up just yet.

I need God to speak to me in the eye of my storm. I need to ‘Be still and know that He is God.’. Yes, we can find God at work alongside us in our activity and busyness, but taking time to be still and listen and reflect is a whole different experience.

So that’s all I’m writing today. To give me (and you) a bit more time and space to spend resting in the presence of God. Of course this song comes to mind –

Be still for the presence of the Lord
The Holy One is here
Come bow before Him now
With reverence and fear
In Him no sin is found
We stand on holy ground
Be still for the presence of the Lord
The Holy One is here

So now I have to get up and pack and leave my family at home. I have to drive down the A1 alone to spend a couple of days with my Dad. I have to miss church again. I want to know that the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is with me. I want to find some moments to be still at some point in this day. To feel the calm in the eye of the storm.

I hope you can rest in the eye of your storm for a while today, too.