People living in the southeastern United States are familiar with the seasonal threat of hurricanes. Once unforeseen and unpredictable, these cataclysmic storms are now forecasted and tracked to minimize the loss of life. Still, just this fall, Helene and then Milton bore down with devastating results. Our prayers remain with people still recovering.
It is hard to fathom the destructive power of a large hurricane. NASA estimates the energy released equates to 10,000 nuclear bombs. Wind alone represents power equivalent to half the worldโs annual electrical generating capacity, and the energy required to evaporate and transport the moisture content would require 200 times the worldโs electrical output.
But at the center of a hurricaneโs massive swirl of turbulent clouds is what is called the eye. Ranging from five to 120 miles in diameter, this region of cloudless calm contains smooth air and clear skiesโalthough it is surrounded by a swirling mass of destruction.
The aircraft I flew for many years continues to serve as Americaโs designated โhurricane hunter.โ The C-130 โHerculesโ regularly flies through the churning bands of cumulonimbus clouds to reach the eye of a named hurricane. As it does, the crew notes the stormโs intensity by measuring wind velocity and air pressure. However devastating the storm may be to people and structures on land and sea, because a hurricane typically lacks lightning and hail, it poses little threat to the rugged aircraft.
Looking around at our world today, we witness catastrophic and heartbreaking destruction. Just as barometers warn of approaching storms, the signs of the times are shouting that we are living on borrowed time. Godโs prophetic Word foretells that conditions will only get worse over time.
The question remains: Are you being battered by the gales of this life, or are you living in the eye of the storm?
Raging Seas
In 2024, we endured another trying and troubling political whirlwind. Letโs be frank: although most Evangelical Christians supported former President Trump (me included), this election cycle was more traumatic than usual.
Not only did President Trump survive multiple assassination attempts (one almost fatal), but the presumptive Democratic candidate was forced out of the race by his own party less than four months prior to the election. Even President Biden was visibly shocked by the way the Democratic Party unceremoniously dumped him. What ensued was a media lovefest for Vice President Harrisโthe same person dismissed as uninspiring and irrelevant as recently as July.
Who can keep up with such shifting political sands? Iโm reminded of the hapless Winston Smith in George Orwellโs 1984. Employed by the oxymoronically-named Ministry of Truth to rewrite history according to the totalitarian governmentโs ever-shifting revisions, he found the inconsistencies incompatible with human sanity.
And yet, today, our media elites flip their narrative at a speed that would make Big Brother proud. They seem to follow the same daily talking pointsโeven using the same exact hackneyed words to perpetuate their propaganda. Just remember the roll-out of the word โweirdโ to describe Republican candidates who do not embrace gender confusion and moral insanity. But like so many other insulting leaps of illogicality, that word narrative only lasted about a week.
Raging seas are typically held back and contained by the immovable rock of great continents. But in our day and age, the very foundations of our societies are being shaken. It is as if the mountains themselves are quaking.
Quaking Mountains
Name any number of social norms from a century ago (or even 40 years ago!) and reflect on whether they are still held sacrosanct today. Crime punished and the law upheld? Not in jurisdictions led by Leftist politicians and prosecutors! Education that promotes Western civilization and encourages critical thinking? No longer tolerated in most public institutions (from pre-K to postgraduate)! Marriage limited to the covenant bond between a man and a woman? No longer acceptable! Men and women understood as distinct and determinative? No more! (Progressive Agenda)
Over the past generation, the solid ground of our moral universe has been shaken. The immovable rocks are being split apart and dashed to pieces. And, lest we think such damage can be easily reversed, the newest generation is being indoctrinated to think such insanity is normal. The morals and boundaries of their forebearsโtried and tested over the long stretch of human historyโnow seem unreasonable and โweirdโ to them.
Even as Mr. Trump is victorious, the heart-breaking march toward Gomorrah will continue. Our society has sown the wind for so long, that it no longer realizes it is in the midst of a whirlwind. Or, if it does, it celebrates the destruction of former norms that the whirlwind is bringing about.
So, where is the peace in such a realization? We must look elsewhere to find peace in the midst of the storm.
Darkness-Piercing Light
This time of year, it is appropriate to remember that just over two millennia ago, spiritual darkness had descended over the world. Most of the โcivilizedโ world was rife with paganism and devoid of any recognition of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even in Judea, the Jews were living under subjection to Roman occupation. They had endured four centuries of silenceโsuffering the prophesied famineย โfor hearing the words of the Yahwehโย (Amos 8:12).
Clinging to their traditions and misled by their self-proclaimed religious leaders, the Jewish people were living in fulfillment of Amosโ dire prophecy: they were โstaggering from sea-to-sea and from the north even to the eastโโlooking for a word of sustenance and hope from God and not finding it.
It was in this dire moment that a Great Light pierced the darkness, shining on all those who walk and live in darkness (Isaiah 9:2). But, to paraphrase Dr. Seussโ infamous Grinch, Christ came without ribbons. He came without ribbons, He came without packages, boxes, or bags. He came without any earthly fanfare and minimal recognition. But come He did, driving darkness into eternal retreat and offering peace to mankind.
Peace, If Youโll Have It
The heavenly host who appeared before the shepherds watching their flocks near Bethlehem praised God as they bore unprecedented Good News:ย โGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleasedโย (Luke 2:14).
Most people like to think that Jesusโ provision of peace is universal. Like Ricky Bobby, the theologically-challenged character from Talladega Nights, they prefer the non-threatening โlittle baby Jesus.โ Baby Jesus doesnโt expect anything from us and offers unconditional love and peace.
Certainly, the love of God is unconditional. But, as the angels sang, His peace is only for those with whom He is pleased. Far from insinuating a futile religion based on works, this simply means that the salvation that brings eternal peace is not universal. As Paul realized, some will be vessels of mercyโknowing the riches of His glory. Others will harden their hearts and reject Him. Eventually, His patience will be exhausted, and they will be consumed as vessels of wrath (Romans 9:22-24).
If you have embraced Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, you have already been identified as a vessel of mercy. The storm may rage around you, but filled with the Holy Spirit your peace springs from within.
