God: Comforter in the Midst of the Storm

Matthew 7:24-27: 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” 

May 20, 2013 was a scary day for many people, especially those in the metro area of Moore, Oklahoma. On this day, there was an EF5 tornado that went through the aforementioned areas of Oklahoma. This tornado was a mile wide in diameter, and recorded wind speeds of up to 212 MPH. On that day, 24 people lost their lives. Two elementary schools, Briarwood Elementary School and Plaza Towers Elementary School, were directly hit by this tornado. They had a total population of over 1000 people, around 900 of whom were students. Among the student body at Briarwood Elementary School, was me. I was an 8 year old boy in the 2nd grade at the time. 

I remember hunkering down in the bathroom. I remember the sound and sight of seeing the roof get ripped off of the school building. I remember watching a concrete wall fall on me. I remember the screams. I remember yelling out “It’s coming back!” whenever I thought it turned around. Later, I realized it was the other side of the tornado that I was hearing. I had only been hit by one side at the time. I remember being pulled out of the building and carried out by a firefighter because I couldn’t feel my legs. I remember regaining feeling, and walking out into a field of chaos. Teachers everywhere, trying to rally their classes (at least the students who were outside of the school at that moment). I remember seeing students, just like myself, helpless, wandering about in the field, just looking for mom or dad. 

But among all of the memories I have from that day, one stands out. I remember knowing that I needed to look for Dad. My Dad was my superhero (and still is in different ways today). He was going to be the one that was going to find me, get me out of there, and take me home. I was so scared, but I knew that once I found Dad, it was all going to be okay. 

I searched and searched around that field of tragedy. I looked for what seemed like hours. But sure enough, I remember seeing Dad in that old navy blue raincoat that he would always wear. As soon as I saw him, I remember walking up to him. It was not a sprint of desperation, but a walk with the purpose of returning home. When I got to him, we shared a warm embrace, and some tears as well. Then, of course, he took me home.

All this to say- there are going to be storms in life. Storms define lives. Storms will wreck the world around you. They will destroy everything you once knew. Storms will ravage your life, and ruin relationships, circumstances, and opportunities. But in those storms of life, never forget who to look for: The Father. I knew when my world got destroyed, that I just needed to go home. I just needed to find Dad. 

Jesus here in Matthew 7 knew the foundation. Jesus knew God. He walked with God, and pursued Him before all else. While being the rock, He Himself was also the rock!

In a similar way, we know what God looks like. He is described throughout the Bible. He is a God who comforts. He is a God who loves. He is a God who will seek you out. He is our foundation and our rock. When we have a storm of life, we will remain firm, if we remain firmly planted. When we begin to stray, when everything around us is in ruin, there is no other place to look, than to our father in Heaven. When you look to Him during a storm, He will comfort you. He will take you home.

Written by: Mason MacDonald

Bibliography:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)