Into The Storm

Passages: Is. 9:8-19; 2 Corinth. 1:1-11; Mk. 4:35-41
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. Թ 8-19; Բ Կորնց. Ա 1-11; Մկ. Դ:35-41

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

Last week I spoke about how humanity is described often as the jewel of God’s creation. This stems from the fact that Holy Scriptures tell us how only humanity was created in the image and likeness of God compared to all other creation. However, even if humanity is held in such high regard scripturally, God in His divine wisdom uses all creation to reveal his teachings to us. For this reason, I love going to the zoo! I love walking through the exhibits and watching the animals. Though their behavior in the zoo is not what we would see in the wild, zoologists are able to study and learn about animal behavior. Recently learned something about the Bison. Bison are large bovine that used to roam across North America. We often call them Buffalo, though there are some differences. What is unique about Bison is how they behave during a storm. Whenever a storm approaches, birds tend to fly away if they can, many animals run for high ground, while many other animals hunker down to stay safe. In fact, bees can sense a drop in barometric pressure and will instinctively seek to cover their hives. Even we make sure things are firm and held into place and we do our best to be indoors. Yet, what is fascinating about Bison is that though other bovine, like cows, huddle together, the Bison head into the storm, traveling directly into its path. When the storm is at its worst, bison turn and face the storm; It is said they are the only animals known to do so. But why? Are they that stubborn? Maybe they are hardheaded as they have larger heads than their counterpart Buffalo; no my dears. It is because heading into the storm shortens the length of the storm.

My dear brothers and sisters, we all face storms in our life. Thankfully the weather has been good over the last several weeks but only a few days ago, we had a storm come through. For those of us who lived near it, we saw the damage it caused. In Armenia, over the past week, they received so much rain that their underpasses began to flood. Whether through social media, or personally, we have seen and experienced damaging and powerful storms. Yet, the storms that I am referring to in life are not confined to inclement weather. They are the storms of fear, anxiety, doubt, hatred, persecution; battles of addiction, hopelessness, job loss, declining health, broken relationships, and the list goes on. Storms that don’t bring rainfall but tears. Storms not of winds but of loss. And often we ask, how can we escape these storms? More than this my dears, we ask why doesn’t God help us avoid these storms? In the same way, the disciples in today’s Gospel reading ask Christ, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” (v. 38)

My dear brothers and sisters, yes God cares! Christ tells us that in this fragile life temptation will happen, storms will rain down on us because we live in a world that is stained with sin. Yet, Christ reminds us that those storms though they hurt, though they are real, they will not take us if we have faith, if we trust God. That not even death on the Cross will divide us from the love and protection of God as St. Paul says in Rom. 8. We may say that we do trust God; we do have faith. Yet, just like in life and the obstacles we face, if we trust our own abilities, in our experience and knowledge, like the Bison, we will be prepared face those obstacles head on knowing we will get through. It is when we don’t trust ourselves that we feel like running, hiding, procrastinate out of fear. Likewise, my dears if we face the storms of life truly trusting in God, knowing as St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians, that our hope will remain unshaken, then the storms in this life will not take us, define us, fill us with hopelessness and despair.

Will they be difficult and heavy? Yes, and as the wonderful creation of God we are, we will not be abandoned or devalued because of the hardship we face. God our Heavenly Father hears our prayers, has mercy, fill us with hope and love for us. That is why Christ emptied Himself and took on our storms; took on sin and its penalty of death. To teach us, that if we face the storms of our life with God then we will be stronger and pass through the storm much quicker than if we try to run away in fear.

The truth is we all want to take the easy way out. We want safety and comfort. The bestselling author Rory Vaden, in his book Take the Stairs, introduces this concept of the Pain Paradox, and says, “The last time you came up to a set of stairs and an escalator, did you take the stairs? If you’re like 95% of the world, then you probably didn’t. Most people don’t; most of the time we look for shortcuts. We all want to be successful, and we all want to have a happy life, but we constantly look for the easy way. We look for the ‘escalator’ in hopes that life will be easier. Unfortunately, in our search for making things easier, we are actually making them worse.” Yes, it is easier perhaps to run and not face the storm. It is easier to abandon faith and hope, to lock our doors and stay indoors. Yet, when we are sick, true healing only comes from taking medicine. Sometimes that medicine is bitter; that process of healing is painful. When someone dislocates their shoulder, popping it back in is painful; when a bone is broken, readjusting the bone so it set properly is extremely painful. Yet, we go through it knowing that in the end we will be healed and stronger. It is the same with our faith. Which is why St. Anthony the Great says, “For it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God for what appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that all we encounter is for our benefit and in accordance with His providence. For knowledge of God and faith in Him is the salvation and perfection of the soul.” To be healed and walk with God is to trust God as we walk through the storm, not avoid them.

My dears, the storms in life are unavoidable and they will hurt. Difficulties will come! Yet, when we remain faithful, our hope will remain unshaken. If we remain prayerful and face the storm truly trusting in God, then we will overcome, we will heal, we will be comforted, and our faith will grow. Let us pray for each other, that if we are facing storms in our life, that God will hear our prayer, give us the strength to face those storms and with faith overcome. We are Gods beloved children, and all creation is given to us to teach us how to remain faithful. And through the Holy Spirit, let us pray that our eyes will be opened to learn, and teach others of the merciful and healing love of God the Father, which we receive through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is, was and will forever be with us all through all the storms in life, Amen!