Psalm 25 – “Walking with Him … in the Storm.”

As I look back over this Psalm, I feel like I have learned a LOT. Probably the biggest thing I’ve learned though I would summarize under the heading of “walking with Him in the storm.”

Here’s the deal: One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Jesus calming the storm. The storm was raging, the waves crashing, and a bunch of seasoned fishermen were quite sure they were all going to drown. (In fact, to add to the drama, I have felt for the years that the storm itself was probably demonic. I strongly suspect that Satan thought he was going to drown Jesus and the disciples the same way he killed all of Job’s children with a single micro-blast of wind). What did Jesus do? He just stood and said, “Peace! Be still!” and the storm not only stopped, the Bible says, “There was a great calm.” Connection? I know that He can do the same with the “storms” in my life. All He has to do is say, “Peace! Be still!” and all my problems could be over. Any time. He has the power. And He might. I wish He would.

Working through this Psalm, David’s pain in one sense only reminded me of mine. I wish so much He would just say, Peace! Be still” and make it all go away. But as I finally worked my way down to the final verses of the Psalm, I realized that faith is by its very nature an unfinished business. David was praying that prayer, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out from my distresses.” But I know that, as the words finished coming from his mouth or he laid down his pen, the problems were all still there. Would they go away? Maybe. Eventually yes. But I have never really thought about the fact that most of the time we pray in faith, beg God for answers, for help, for strength, for deliverance only to stand up to live in a world that hasn’t changed at all. We go on in faith believing that God has heard us and that He will, in His time, in His way, give us what is best. But … that is unfinished business.

It would be wonderful to sit in that boat and actually see that “great calm.” What a rush that must have been. Storms don’t just “end.” They subside. Wow what it must have been like to sit there in that boat, knowing just a second ago there was a horrific storm howling and now … now the lake is completely calm. Yeah. Jesus. It would be so nice if that could happen in my life.

But I realized that isn’t usually the case. And faith must go on. Then I read that little quip, “When the Lord gives us a bitter cup to drink …” and I thought it would say, “He delivers us from it” only to read on and instead see “… He’ll give us the strength to drink it.” Now that’s different. “Strength to drink it.” Once again, I’d rather be delivered. But He gives strength to drink it, to face it, to go through it.

Then I noticed something I’ve never seen before. In at least one of those storms, Jesus had Peter step out of the boat and walk on the waves, on the storm, so to speak. I’ve never thought about what a rush that must have been for Peter – not just to be delivered from the storm, but actually to be able to walk with Jesus in it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked with Jesus in the fire. Peter walked with Jesus in the storm. Here’s my deal – I am sure, in a sense that neither Peter nor the guys wanted it to end. And all of a sudden, in my life, I’m finding a never before experienced sense of joy; a joy of walking with Him in the storm. The storm has really howled the last couple of weeks. The fire is definitely “seven times hotter.” Yet, as I’ve suffered through it all, I have been more aware than ever before that He is with me in it, that He is giving me the strength to face it, to keep walking through it. He is with me in the storm. And honestly, there is a very soul-deep sense of joy in that, a joy I can’t say I’ve ever really experienced before.

It still hurts. A LOT. This body gets exhausted. I almost can’t take it. But then, there He is. Like Phil 4:13, He is giving me strength. And a really, really strange thing happens. I almost don’t want it to end. If only He’ll keep carrying me, if only somehow He’ll keep making a way minute by minute, then in a sort of faint way I can see that “strength to drink it” is almost a better answer than “deliver me from it.”

This is NOT to say I’m asking for trouble. I do get tired and I do long for all of this  to be over. I still wish He’d just say, “Peace! Be still!” and calm the storm.

But having studied this Psalm, I am more aware than ever that He may not. But I’ve also made some kind of a step. I faintly see that higher plane. And my soul values it.

Another thought on it all – as I’ve been trying to live this: what got Peter? … while he was walking with Jesus in the storm? We’ve all read it. He stopped looking at Jesus and started looking instead at the wind and waves. That is exactly when I’ve been losing it. that’s when I’ve been getting irritable with other people, feeling hopeless, etc. … when I start focusing on the storm and forgetting Who I’m walking in it with. It’s like a mental discipline I have to keep practicing. The Lord is good. He is with me. He will “give me the strength to drink it.” It will end. I’m going through this with Him. There are definitely points where I am seriously struggling to stay up and I find myself praying, "Lord help me see You." I can only "make it" if I can keep seeing Him -- "with my gaze fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith."

So that’s the biggest thing I think I’ve learned. To walk with Him in the storm … and actually find a joy in it.

Hmmmm. Wow. He gives such good gifts. I suppose I started studying this Psalm maybe hoping I’d learn something that could somehow end the storm. Instead He gave me something better. Something I didn’t even realize could be a gift, to actually know joy in the storm.

I’m so glad that it will all end some day. I wouldn’t mind if He decided it was today. But then again … maybe I’d rather keep working on this thing, this walking with Him in the storm.

May He give me the strength. May I really know what it means, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”

To whoever stumbles across my feeble thoughts, may it encourage you some way too. May you know Him, walk with Him, know His love and loving Him. Blessings on you.

On to Galatians I think. Hope to study it with my good old friend John Eadie. He always lifts me to praises beyond what I’ve known before. Looking forward to it.