Living In The Eye

Scripture

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

~John 14:27, NASB

Quote

There is immense power in stillness. All things come to those who know how to trust and be silent.

~Hannah Whitall Smith

Stillness has never been my strength: I was born with a nervous twitch. I was seated at a ballgame a few nights ago and I was bumping my right leg up and down; the person next to me thought I was cold and offered to go get me a coat. I said, “I’m not cold, it is just a habit, anytime I sit, the legs and feet are moving.” I have to work to relax. In the old days, when my eyes saw a shot needle headed in my direction, my whole body would tense up. Years ago an RN taught me a trick, if I inhale and hold my breath, I don’t feel the shot. I may feel the medicine in the shot but the shot itself doesn’t bother me. Being able to relax and be still is very important to our devotional life. Anxiety and hurry can kill any devotional life. We have to practice stillness. A quiet spirit is of inestimable value when it comes to devotion, worship, evangelism or ministry. My goal when I go into the pulpit is to relax so that I can be sensitive to the Spirit. The inspirational juices flow better when we are calm on the inside.

What we call a hurricane in the western world, the eastern hemisphere calls a cyclone. They are basically the same thing. The amazing thing about these incredibly powerful storms is that they have an eye, a center and this eye is protected by an eye wall. The eye is usually 25 miles wide and within the eye of the storm, there is a peaceful calm. In some cases, there is even sunshine and blue skies in the eye. Typically, the eye will have clouds. The amazing thing is the contrast. The storm circles the eye with powerful wind and lots of rain. In the northern hemisphere, the hurricane spins counter-clockwise, in the south it turns clockwise. These storm winds are powerful and very destructive.

What is the point? Is this a lesson in meteorology? The point is; we believers live in the eye of a storm. There is chaos, destruction, and devastation swirling all around us. Jesus can give us peace in the storm. Jesus is the “Peace Speaker.” He has the power to stand on the bow of our soul and say, “Silence! Be still!” When He speaks to our troubled hearts, there will be a great calm. Sometimes we have to stop praying about the winds and the waves and focus on the condition of our heart. He can give us peace in the midst of the storm.

EXTRA

The leaves are beginning to change but not in the traditional manner; there is some color but not much. I thought this fall would be beautiful because of all the rain but it looks like I was wrong. Counting down to TRAIL-A-TREAT this Sunday and then we will be going to Vandy on Tuesday. For all the working folks, it TGIF. Have a great day and a great weekend.

 

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