The Perfect Storm
A hot movie, at the moment, is The Perfect Storm. It is based on a true story. In October 1991, three storm systems merged in the Atlantic Ocean off the New England coast to create a storm the likes of which had never been seen before in the history of weather watching. Since the Weather Bureau did not foresee the merger, at first it was called the “No Name Storm.” Then, a reporter dubbed it the “Perfect Storm.”
Waves were 100 feet high. Ships sank. Buildings were destroyed. People died. One ship named the Andrea Gail with six aboard sank. All aboard were lost. An author wrote a book about it and Hollywood made a movie. Hence, the blockbuster The Perfect Storm.
Was the 1991 storm off the Atlantic coast the perfect storm? Is there such a thing? A perfect storm is one that accomplishes God’s intended purpose. As Nahum reminds us, “The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm” (Nahum 1:3).
When God told Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it” (Jonah 1:2), Jonah fled in the opposite direction toward Tarshish “from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3). Then the Lord prepared the perfect storm. He “sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up” (Jonah 1:4). The storm accomplished its divine design. It got the attention of the sailors as well as Jonah (Jonah 1:5-17).
The Heavenly Father disciplines His children. The writer to the Hebrews says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens (child trains), and scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). The nature of this child training discipline can be any kind of “storm” that God allows to come into our lives to mature us. More specifically, Paul says these “storms” will be in the form of weakness, sickness, and for some, who don’t get the message of the storm, can even die prematurely (1 Cor. 11:30).
The problem with a perfect storm is that sometimes we do not realize what is happening. In the storm of 1991, the people on shore at first did not take it very seriously. The Weather Bureau did not see this unusual storm system coming ahead of time. Consequently, people were unaware of what was happening. Oh, they knew that it was a storm, but they had no idea of what was really going on, because the storm had no name. One man who experienced the storm said, “If it had been called ‘Hurricane Bob,’ we would have taken it more seriously.” No one took it seriously. Children played in the waves. Adults took pictures.
Not all the “storms” in our lives are God’s punishment on sin, but God uses “storms” to “discipline” us. If we understood what He was doing and called them by their right name, maybe we would not be so hurt by them, but would learn from them. If you let the Lord have His way in your storms, they will be perfect storms.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 7/15/2000
Waves were 100 feet high. Ships sank. Buildings were destroyed. People died. One ship named the Andrea Gail with six aboard sank. All aboard were lost. An author wrote a book about it and Hollywood made a movie. Hence, the blockbuster The Perfect Storm.
Was the 1991 storm off the Atlantic coast the perfect storm? Is there such a thing? A perfect storm is one that accomplishes God’s intended purpose. As Nahum reminds us, “The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm” (Nahum 1:3).
When God told Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it” (Jonah 1:2), Jonah fled in the opposite direction toward Tarshish “from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3). Then the Lord prepared the perfect storm. He “sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up” (Jonah 1:4). The storm accomplished its divine design. It got the attention of the sailors as well as Jonah (Jonah 1:5-17).
The Heavenly Father disciplines His children. The writer to the Hebrews says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens (child trains), and scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). The nature of this child training discipline can be any kind of “storm” that God allows to come into our lives to mature us. More specifically, Paul says these “storms” will be in the form of weakness, sickness, and for some, who don’t get the message of the storm, can even die prematurely (1 Cor. 11:30).
The problem with a perfect storm is that sometimes we do not realize what is happening. In the storm of 1991, the people on shore at first did not take it very seriously. The Weather Bureau did not see this unusual storm system coming ahead of time. Consequently, people were unaware of what was happening. Oh, they knew that it was a storm, but they had no idea of what was really going on, because the storm had no name. One man who experienced the storm said, “If it had been called ‘Hurricane Bob,’ we would have taken it more seriously.” No one took it seriously. Children played in the waves. Adults took pictures.
Not all the “storms” in our lives are God’s punishment on sin, but God uses “storms” to “discipline” us. If we understood what He was doing and called them by their right name, maybe we would not be so hurt by them, but would learn from them. If you let the Lord have His way in your storms, they will be perfect storms.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 7/15/2000
