The Hurricane’s Eye

On By Danele RotharmelIn 2. Articles

Storm 2

Dear Friends,

A few years ago, while I was in quarantine, I watched a documentary about hurricanes. I was fascinated by the pictures of the huge, swirling storms. The storms were so powerful and so incredibly massive. Footage was shown of trees bending and people staggering. The message was clear—a hurricane could blow you away and destroy your house.

After the show was over, I sat with my chin in my hands and thought about my life. Truthfully, I felt like I had been hit by a hurricane. My illness had stripped away everything I was proud of—everything that used to define who I was. I had to quit my job, stop coaching, stop attending church, stop having lunch with friends. My personal hurricane had swooped down and stolen it all.

Broken houseAs I contemplated what I had lost, I began to worry about my future. After all, what type of future did I actually have? The more I worried, the more fear began clamping down on my heart. Soon, I could feel my stomach churning and my pulse racing. I tried to calm down, but how do you calm down when you’re facing the possibility that there is no hope for you? I felt like the storm that had hit my life had brought utter destruction. There would be no coming back. I didn’t see how I could rebuild my life. I couldn’t even see that I had a “life.”

Suddenly, I felt God’s gentle peace surrounding me. Very quietly, deep in my spirit, I heard Him say, “Get a pencil.”

When I grabbed a pencil, I began to write down what I felt God was saying to me. His words brought tears to my eyes: “There is nothing for you to worry about. There is nothing for you to fear. Why do you think I put an eye in the center of the hurricane? It is to teach you that there can be a measure of peace in the midst of the storm as long as you stay right in the center of my will and move with me. There is nothing for you to worry about. There is nothing for you to fear.”

At that moment, although I didn’t know what my future was going to hold, I knew that God was with me and that I didn’t need to be afraid. Everything was going to be okay.

storm

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

12 thoughts on “The Hurricane’s Eye”

  2. Danele, as I read your blog I thought of the numbers of people who have come through our GriefShare groups through the years. They’ve felt just like you. There are GS groups meeting all over the world every day. As God brings them to your mind, please pray for their healing…just like God has healed you.

    Hope you don’t mind, not only am I reblogging this post, I’m copying it and handing it out to my GriefShare group tonight. What a clear, concise message of God’s everlasting care and comfort for those who come to Him. Thank you!<3

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Dear DiAne,
      I don’t mind a bit!! It makes me feel very honored and happy and humbled that you want to share my article. I’m so glad that the Lord loves us enough to enter into our grief–and to comfort us as only He knows how. I will be praying for the GriefShare groups–and especially for your group as it meets tonight.

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  3. Ann Ellison

    Another beautiful reminder of God’s love for us. I have experienced that too. I lost my husband in 1997 with a brain tumor. The last time he was admitted to the hospital on the hospice floor, my mom and I were talking and I told her that I felt really strange. I felt like I should be more upset and worried and I just wasn’t and was wondering if there something wrong with me. My mom very sweetly reminded me that I had many friends and family praying for Don and I and that what I was experiencing was walking in God’s sweet peace and not to question it but just walk in it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, Ann!! What beautiful words!!! They really spoke to my heart!

      Dear Lord, please help me to keep walking in your sweet peace and not to question it–just to walk in it!!!

      Thank you, Ann, for ministering to me today!!

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  4. Hi Danele!
    Isn’t God amazing? In the midst of a storm as huge and destructive as a hurricane, there’s peace and tranquility.
    I’ve stood in the eye of a hurricane. It was amazing.
    Blue sky…the sun blazing down from the heavens and utterly still…not even a breeze. I thought it would be quiet, but the chirps of birds filled the air. And when I saw them above me, I realized they’d been trapped by the walls of the storm. And they were safe…like me.
    It was a peaceful reprieve from hours of pounding rain and wind…thunder within a dark, boarded house. A chance to recover and regroup for the oncoming onslaught.
    I will never forget the experience. It was my chance to see God’s masterpiece…His artwork in nature.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Caryl McAdoo

    Hallelujah! God makes the most beautiful analogies 🙂 He gave me a new song titled “I Just want to be in Your Will, Lord. That’s the 1st line, too. The second is “I just need to know Your will.” I know for me, I would do anything in my power to stay in the center of His will…sometimes, it’s just hard to know what or where that is.

    The rest of the song goes, “For to walk in obedience is what I long to do. For to walk in obedience shows how much I love You. Open my ears, Lord. Help me to hear. Teach me to listen, as I draw near. Silence my flesh, Lord, in Jesus’ name. And by the power of His might, I will proclaim that demons and devils will not speak to me! I’ll not hear their lies or their blasphemies! I only will hear the sweet voice of my Lord, and then I’ll obey Your every Word.
    I Just want to be in Your Will, Lord. I just need to know Your will.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. What a lovely song, Caryl!! I especially love the line, “Teach me to listen, as I draw near.” I would love to hear your song if you ever make a video of it!!! Thank you so much for sharing the lyrics!!!

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  6. sistercrystalmary

    I enjoyed the wisdom in what you wrote. Praise God’s name for giving you this excellent insight. None of us have any certainty about tomorrow…our life has nothing to do with, wealth, health, or age… So be encouraged!!….. And there is no such thing as death for the Christian, we have our ticket waiting to go to Heaven, and when our time comes to depart, we hop onto the best ride of our life. To our mansion in Paradise..

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