Ellis
The word calm suggests quietness, a settling of the mind. It is soberness, clear thinking, and peace that should be the heart and mind of every Christian believer.
Calm down and think clearly about some things, and we will see things in a different light. Need I say that we are living in troubling times, anxious times and times of uncertainty, times where the only thing that we can count on and stand on is the sure word of God? Thank our God for the word of God. The Bible, this book that contains the holy scriptures, God’s inspired word that guides us, speaks to us and directs us in the way that we ought to go (Psalm 119:105).
What would we do without the compass of the word of God? Where would we turn if we did not have God’s word to guide us on our Christian journey? Being calm adds vitality to your life. Your blood pressure doesn’t go up so much when you’re calm. It contributes, believe it or not, to our overall health. It causes us to react rationally. Now the word calm means “To make someone tranquil and quiet.” This speaks to us today: calm down, somebody, clear your mind, settle your thoughts, and quiet your fears so that you can think rationally. When natural storms are on the horizon, the warning goes out so that the people can prepare; preparation gives you peace of mind, and it also helps you to remain calm.
Now, they tell us that the key to surviving any storm is to stay calm; don’t panic! Personally, I’ve tried to train myself so that if something happens such as a traumatic experience, I’ll steady myself and think on a rational level. That’s key to survival.
When you lose it, you lose control, and when you lose control, it makes matters worse. This word speaks to all of us today because we are all living through a storm. Personal storms, corporate storms, and national storms. It threatens to cause us to forget some things. We forget that there is a God that is in control. We forget that if God numbers the hairs on our heads, and he does, that this means that God cares for us (Luke 12:7). We forget all that God has already done and the storms he has already brought us through. We forget that He who allows storms is able to control and navigate the storm. He speaks through the storm if we will listen. There is a message in every storm. “speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
The question we need to ask ourselves is, “What message is God trying to get to me through the storm? What wake-up message is God sending my way?” in 2001, on Sept. 11, thousands of lives were lost in the twin towers in New York City when terrorists struck. It sent a panic all across the United States. But, community, we forgot some things then, and some of us forgot some things today. The psalmist offers one of the most encouraging psalms in the Book of Psalms. One that all of us need to read. I read this psalm after 9/11, and it encourages me today; the psalmist said in Psalm 91, “He that dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in him will I trust.”
God and His angels guard the believer (vv. 3–13) all day and all night, and the Lord Himself promises protection (vv. 14–16). Let’s remember that doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen in the will of the Lord because it does. But ultimate protection is promised to the believer. That’s us, y’all! God and His angels guard the believer (vv. 3–13) at all times, and there’s a hedge built all around them. Why do we think that that stray bullet that came our way didn’t penetrate us? Why do we think that that tornado went around us and struck somewhere else? Why do we think when that traffic light turned green, but something held us back, and at that time, an 18-wheeler ran the red light, and if we had moved when we wanted to, it would have crashed into the side of our car? Community, why do we think we got sick and recovered while somebody else got the same sickness and they died? Why things happened, and you can’t explain it, you just know that you are still in your right mind.
Community, we who dwell in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (vv. 14–16). But, community, let me explain something here: being under his wings does not mean that Christians are exempt from trouble or the storms of life. This should not be taken as a personal promise for protection from every evil circumstance. This does not mean that Christians don’t lose their lives sometimes in a storm. Christians have died in tornadoes and hurricanes, Christians have died in automobile accidents, and we all know some Christians who lost their lives to Covid-19. See, we all have an appointed time to die, but outside of that, in general, we are offered protection, and nothing shall take us before our time. “no weapon that is formed against us shall prosper,” The psalmist said. “Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flies by day.” Knowing this makes us calm in the storm.