Lightning Strikes
It’s spring storm season. The month of May seems to always be chock full of tornado watches and warnings. Several years ago we hunkered down during a nearby EF5 level tornado. That year, we rescheduled a son’s birthday party three different times due to threatening weather before we just gave up trying to work around the unpredictable climate.
Moving more than 200 miles south has certainly lessened the frequency of potentially life-threatening spring storms. The month of May is still scattered with plenty of extreme conditions, though, ushering in everything from thunderstorms and hail to flash floods and tornadoes. This time of year provides plenty of fodder for fear.
Recently, on a Mother’s Day Sunday morning, thunder began to rumble frequently and loudly during Bible class and into the worship hour. Finally, during communion, an epic boom reverberated through the building, literally shaking the walls as members ate the bread while remembering Jesus’ broken body. Some people later commented about how reminiscent the experience was to the event we were commemorating. Others briefly wondered what it would be like if Jesus returned during the Lord’s Supper. Another was prompted to acknowledge the event as a reminder of God’s presence.
While those assembled in the auditorium marveled at the magnificently long and loud rumbling outside, a family nearby experienced something much more significant. A lightning bolt preceded the thunder, striking a house not far away and catching fire. The family was able to get out safely. But, they are temporarily uprooted. They are left reeling from the uncertainty before them, and the shock of what they have lost behind them.
Life can stagger you like that sometimes. We live in a world of lightning strikes, both literal and relational, intentional and random. Sometimes there is fallout from actions that strike like lightning and set our world on fire. Very few of us will ever have our houses burn down from an actual lightning strike. But at some point, nearly all of us will be touched by a house-burning bolt to the heart that leaves us devastated or displaced.
Someone may disappoint us with sinful behavior or a rash decision made in a moment of desire, anger, or hurt. Or, a potentially life-altering event may leave us sifting through a metaphorical pile of ash. Fear of the storm—or what we will be left to deal with in the wake of the storm—can disorient us.
In Mark 4, beginning in verse 36, we read of the fear in the hearts of the disciples who are tossing and turning in a boat during a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus sleeps on a cushion while waves crash over the sides of the vessel. Despite the physical presence of their Savior, the disciples wake Jesus and accuse him of being indifferent to their plight. “Don’t you care if we drown?” (4:38, NIV) they ask him. Jesus commands the wind and waves into submissive quiet and calm, challenging the disciples by asking, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (4:40).
What they went through can help us with what we go through. Being with Jesus did not prevent them from experiencing a frightening storm. Faithfully following Jesus is not a guarantee against experiencing lightning-strike moments in the storms of life. However, as the disciples learned, our faith should overcome our fears. Jesus provided them peace in the midst of their storm, and we have that same promise of peace (John 14:27).
