In that darkness the whole sanctuary around us seemed to be whining under the struggle between the pressure of the vast expanse above us and strong relentless pull from the abyss beneath us. The noise went from a small kitten-like whine to a deafening lion-like roar. And then when it seemed like the integrity of the structure of our hiding place would take it no longer, and it would burst into a million fragments ... it happened: Dead silence... deathlike stillness ...an eerie calm. Then came the distortion, "Where is your God?"
Just as we would momentarily wait in wonder of the calm, and then proceed from our position of safety; so it is with the soul that proceeds from those moments when nothing seems fastened down nor secure. It is at that moment of the storm's abating when the soul slowly moves out of hiding that the distortion of the situation becomes the most intense.
The risk to step out into the silence of the unknown aftermath of the storm was real. The risk of potential hazards like teetering debris or downed power lines was inevitable. There was that additional risk of possibly being caught by the return of the storm without any protection. With all of this looming, the intensifier was the distortion caused by an adversarial question “Where is your God?” As if the risk wasn't pressure enough, would I now find myself abandoned by the One who I trusted.
While reading Psalm 42 in all of its amazing expressions of the emotions of the Soul that follows hard after God, (Verses 1- 6 described in an emotional nutshell – exhaustion, deprivation, tear-filled doubt, disappointment, depression, rejection and then verse 7 wow!) I have to stop and once again ponder the following verse because it describes ”that moment”at the end of our emotional struggle when prayer seems drowned out by the noise of His storm and His ocean that just washes right over us … Psalm 42:7 – “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts: all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me.”
I am so glad that the Psalmist did not place the quill of the pen back in its well at this verse, for I would be all but done. By the breath of God the Psalmist proceeds to bring us out of our ruin carrying some new found gifts to defuse the distortion and give us clarity for the next move in our journey. Looking back from the vantage point of going through His storm, His waves and His billows, we will realize we are growing to know that:
- He is our song and prayer in the night.
- He is our life, when all else is fading.
- He is our rock, securing us on the Edge.
- He is our wellness,
- He is our prosperity,
- He is our deliverance,
- He is our Rescue,
- He is our Victory.
Pray for William as his wife Patricia is entering her final season of life, pray for Janet as she longs to breathe normally, pray for so many who are troubled by the onset of overwhelming circumstances and feelings of abandonment. Pray that Love will reign in the hearts of those momentarily abandoned. Pray when the question hisses from the Adversary "Where is Thy God?" that God's still small voice will shout comfort through the soul of His little ones "Here I Am!"
The Distortion will fade while in Thy storm my turning is to You!
HLFA,
Jeff