Nougat 26

We know God as our Refuge; we’ve seen God as the Gates of Righteousness; and yet we worry about the storm. Consider today’s Holy Nougat

“Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭TLV‬‬

What a wonderful assurance. That’s the kind that keeps us going even when life knocks us down. It is heartening to know that God’s with us even through the rough patches. And when I remember Who God is – my Gate of Righteousness; my Refuge; that’s enough to put my fears out.

There are days though, when I am like the disciples in the boat; shaking Jesus to death waking Him, asking whether He doesn’t *see my storm* or even *care that I am drowning*. (Need I tell you that sometimes it’s a storm in a teacup, not even a real tempest; but when I’m undergoing, it feels like a Cat tropical storm or hurricane). Ironically, even in those moments, asleep or not, God is with us IN the boat. And honestly, if it seems that God’s asleep; maybe it’s because God can still that storm while sleeping. For there’s NO storm outside the realm of God’s sight or power.

The irony is that during those ‘asleep in the boat’ moments, we are inclined to assume God has lost control; or that God doesn’t care. We might even assume that God’s incapable of fulfilling that which God has promised us – for; there we are, out in the storm, with ZERO swimming skills, in a boat filled with water and we’re several miles away from shore! (Sounds familiar? Well, you’re not alone. There’s many of us who’ve been there. Some of us just don’t talk about it!) And when we are in those moments, it’s hard to trust God. Especially when it doesn’t work out as we figure it should; or didn’t work the way we expected last time we were caught in a storm!

Sometimes I wonder whether these are the kinds of promises that we distort when our actions suggest that God is Santa Claus. And if we were really to define Santa Claus by the more popular words of the song, we would recognize that even Santa Claus has a short leash. He knows when you are sleeping; He knows if you’re awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good; so be good for goodness sake It doesn’t mean that when we’re in the storm we have been naughty; but that even Santa Claus can and will disappoint us.

So what then do we say about and to God? We might opt to begin with the facts, born from experience. For me, that includes God as deliverance, hiding place, beacon/lighthouse in the storm AND the medic who restored my soul after the storm wreaked havoc physically, emotionally and spiritually. That’s the God I know; despite the occasional disappointing moment. Knowing Who God is and God’s attributes then propels me to stop problem solving on my own or with other humans like my self and Cry Out To God. For I KNOW God’s grace will carry me. Always. Even where I don’t want to go. Even when I was the one who strayed – in fact; especially when I stray. Yes. God strengthens us, delivers us, and upholds -i.e. sets us right again – with the Creative power of God’s mighty hand.

Glory to God!

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May all we seek be found in Christ