Chaos or Calm?

Sometimes it feels like God is nowhere to be found. Maybe He's too busy to worry about my little problems, or maybe He doesn't really care that much. He does, after all, have a whole universe to keep track of. He said it Himself in the Bible, we are each like a speck of sand to Him. Does that mean my problems, fears and broken dreams don't actually matter to Him?

Have you ever had those kinds of thought? I definitely have, but deep down I know they aren't even remotely true. Somehow, some way, God cares so much about each and every one of us. He knows our every thought. He keeps track of every one of our tears. He knows our hopes and dreams, when they are realized and when they are broken and trampled on.

Remember the story about the disciples in Mark 4? They were with Jesus, crossing the Sea of Galilee on a fishing boat. A terrible storm began, and they were afraid for their lives. Jesus was sleeping through the whole thing, and the disciples asked Him, "Don't you care if we drown?" Jesus got up and said to the storm,
"Quiet, be still." And it stopped immediately.

Jesus spoke to the deadly storm as if it was a barking dog that was scaring his young children. "Stop now. Quiet. You're scaring them." And it obeyed.  Had Jesus been unaware that there was a dangerous storm brewing? Of course not. But still, he waited for His children to come to Him seeking protection.

God is our Protector. He wants each and every one of us to run to Him when we are afraid, when we are in need of protection. Oftentimes we forget. We run to worldly "saviors" instead, and we need to realize that God will never let money, people, success, or anything else be our "savior." He is the only One that can truly protect us.

When a storm hits a believer, they are immediately turned into a mirror. What are you reflecting during your storms? Faith in God or faith in the world? Trust or self-reliance? Fear or peace? Chaos or Calm?

It's important to remember that oftentimes God will calm the storm in our lives, but sometimes He calms us in the midst of our storm instead. Either way, He is always in control.