Wild Winds

"Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall."  Isaiah 25:4

Having a very teachable moment this morning.  I don't know what the weather is like in your area, but the wind here was quite wild, giving me a restless night.  Just after midnight I moved to a quieter room in the house so that I could hopefully get some sleep.

Opening my devotional book this morning the very first verse I read was, "He stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind." (Isaiah 27:8).  I smiled.  Only God could immediately direct my attention to a verse about weather.

As I continued reading, I came to the verse I wrote at the top of this post.  Suddenly the truth about God being that shelter for someone during a difficult time became real.  Experiencing the battering of wind at our windows, what about when it blows at the heart?  Although not made of glass, sometimes it can be even more fragile.

Last evening I was so saddened to read a friend's post on Facebook that spoke of "church bullies".  A mean-spirited, need-to-be-right man had deeply wounded the heart of her mom while at church yesterday morning.  Winds of abuse blew in, shattering and hurting.

Pain is compounded when it's delivered to us by those whose faith and beliefs walk the same path as ours. The Psalmist David was familiar with this pain: "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.  But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God."  Psalm 55:12-14.

I look outside and visually see evidence of wind's whipping force.  Items uprooted and tossed carelessly.  Who can stand against such unrelenting power?  The whipping against our hearts might not be as easily seen, yet often yields more irreparable damage.

"...the blast of the terrible ones is a storm against the wall".  Yes, this precious lady has been the recipient of a cruel blasting from a terrible one, but her faith will remain.  Like my home that is still standing after the passing storm, her life is built upon the Rock, and although weathered by caustic gales she intimately knows the One who calms the storms.  As a kite rises against the wind, so too this precious lady will soar as she responds with integrity, secure in her Father's care.

Maybe you know someone who has been the target of "a blast from a terrible one".  Or, possibly, "a storm against the wall" is fiercely howling around your heart.  The Lord is our strength, refuge and shadow providing hope, comfort and protection.  May Jesus Himself calm the winds and speak peace over all that is raging around and within you today.