The Eye of the Storm

We all know times when some troubles are past and we have a time of calm. We cannot yet say we are completely out of trouble. It may be just a breathing space. But it is very welcome even so.

These times are like the eye of the storm. This is a remarkable feature of tropical cyclones. It is a circular area 20-40 miles across where all is calm. Around the eye there may be ferocious winds. I certainly remember a time some years ago when the barometer reading dropped alarmingly low but we were not seeing the strong winds you would usually expect. They were in different parts of the country. We were in the eye of the storm. Of course, if the storm then blows towards you, you will soon be back in the thick of it.

Sometimes a Christian finds him- or herself in a time when some distressing trouble has passed. We never dare to feel that we are immune from more troubles. "Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7 ESV). But we are grateful for God-given rest from worries and battles.

In 1 Samuel 7 the prophet Samuel was leader of God's people. At a place called Mizpah the people's army defeated the Philistines. They were subdued for a generation. Not for all time, though! They would be back. Samuel handed over power to Israel's first king, Saul. Saul came to a sticky end when the Philistines defeated him and his army and killed him. They were always a thorn in the flesh of the people of God. It is not for nothing that the Holy Land today is known as "Palestine" by the Arab population. "Palestine" is connected with "Philistines".

But there was one incident which should teach us to thank God for the eye of the storm. When Samuel had defeated the Philistines, he set up a stone. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us." We need to be mindful of the many times when God has helped us "thus far". It would not be right to expect no more trouble on this earth, but every "eye of the storm" is a sign of the rest and deliverance that God promises to those who trust Him. The death and rising again of Jesus Christ bring believers into this rest (Hebrews 4:3).

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

Robert Robinson, 1735-90