PART I FINDING THE HEART OF GOD IN LIFE'S GREATEST STORMS

Photo submitted by Jana Long

Taken by Mike Mezuel II

 

Have you ever noticed that there are people who

literally chase after these super cells?  You might ask yourself

this question, "Have they lost their ever loving minds?" 

Your answer may be yes, but the truth still remains;

these people become extremely excited when they hear

a storm is coming.  They pack all their gear and run

toward the storm.

 

Living through one of these super cells gives these people

the energy and drive to chase larger storms.   Because of their

excitement and drive to watch, explore, and show you what

these storms are really like, we are able to get a better picture

of how the storms form, what pattern they make, and areas to

be or not be when one of these super cells form.

 

Many times we don't have forewarning the storm is headed

our way.  We suddenly wake up and find ourselves in it's path.

You can be assured that being in the center of the will of

God is where I want to be when I find I am in the path

of a great storm.  These storms carry such force that you

could be crushed and destroyed instantly.  Although if

you find yourself in the eye of the storm you will find a

calmness that you never thought possible. 

 

I am not a storm chaser but a storm survivor and that

is why I write this today. This is something I have struggled

with for years as it exposes my stupidity and makes me

vulnerable in allowing you to see I have made some terrible

mistakes in my life, but I am praying that in sharing this someone

will find what they need to survive a storm they have found

themselves caught in.

 

There was a time in my life that I had found peace in all my trials

and struggles except for one certain situation.  I was angry

because of my storm.  I had asked the Lord to remove the storm

from my thoughts, to heal my mind from the scars, to give

me relief.  He pressed on my heart that he wanted to give me

peace in the midst of my storm.  I didn't want peace because that

meant I would still be inside of the storm and I wanted the storm

to be ended. wiped away from my life and my memory. 

 

You see, my storm was the memory of the night

I found myself being taken to a dry barren countryside,

lead to a spot with a man who carried a knife, a shovel

and gloves.  He explained exactly what he would do

with my body and where when he finished his job

he would place my body.  In the dry and barren spot there

flowed a stream and there was an extremely huge rock that 

protruded over the stream. Under the rock there was lots of

moss by the flowing stream. He explained that after he completed

chopping my body into small fragments he would then 

bury it under the large rock that protruded over the stream. 

He gave me one option which I took.  The next day

I would go and file for divorce with my husband and

I would marry him and live with him and meet

all his needs. I took that option and the next day I had about

a forty - five minute frame that I could escape of which I did.

I lived past this storm only by the grace of God

but it scared me deeply.

 

Months later my pastor spoke of being broken and  I found myself

being angry. I couldn't for the life of me understand why God

wanted me broken.  Could he not plainly see that I was better to

him in my wholeness?  Could he not see the trauma and fear

that caused me to shake all over my body uncontrollably? 

Was the Texas Ranger who assisted me, not just totally

insane to say that God could use this great storm

in my life?  What is wrong with all of these people? 

Can they not see that I am useless and good for nothing?

Can they not see that I can't hardly process two plus

two much less know how to process how to live

and help my children and carry on with life? 

 

Yet all the while the Lord was asking me to find peace. 

It was hard for me to find this peace that the Lord

wanted me to have because I was meeting with

people who was training and preparing me

to protect myself and kill if need be.  I went for

training and received my license to carry a gun

and was told that if this person was ever seen by me

that I had the right to kill him.  No questions would

be asked, just pull the trigger repeatedly and then

call the police who already had on record what this

person had done to me.  They trained me how to

shoot up close, how to shoot from a distance,

how to fall down and shoot, how to shoot and keep

shooting until the last round was gone.  I was told I was

not shooting to kill but I would be shooting to live.

 

One day as I was ironing my pants I burned my finger badly.

Immediately I felt the Lord say to my heart.  I can heal

your finger.  I spoke out loud to the Lord, "Go ahead and heal

my finger, if you can."  Later I noticed the burn was completely gone.

There was no redness, no blister and no pain.  I was

shocked because I knew how badly it was burnt,  but

the Lord once again spoke to my heart and said, "I can heal your

heart!"  " No, that pain is far to deep for you to heal."  The Lord

said, "You trusted me with your finger why will you not trust

me with your heart"?   I remember surrendering the pain of my

stupidity that got me into the situation and surrendering to the

Lord my heart for healing.  Immediately a song came

into my mind that caused me to weep beyond control,

but the song brought forth the healing that my heart

was longing for.  I am probably the only person

on this earth that understands the words to this song

interpreted the way I do but that's all right because

each time I hear the song it brings peace to my inner being

it washes all the pain away.  I learned to sleep without shaking

profusely from the trauma and I learned to allow

God to heal my heart ,so it  doesn't matter if anyone

else understands the depth of this song, but I must say, I do! 

For you see prior to this song I could only see the storm and

never once seen where God's hand was during the storm.

 

 

 He Hideth My Soul in the Cleft of the Rock

 

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

Were rivers of pleasure I see

 

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

that shadows a dry thirsty land;

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

And covers me there with His hand,

And covers me there with His hand. 

 

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

He taketh my burden away,

He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved

He giveth me strength as my day.

 

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,

and filled with His fullness divine,

I sing in my rapture, Oh glory to God!

For such a redeemer is mine

 

When clothed with His brightness transported I rise

To meet Him in clouds of the sky,

His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,

I'll shout with the millions on high

 

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

that shadows a dry thirsty land;

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

And covers e there with His hand,

 

And covers me there with His hand.

 

You see each time I hear this song being sung I weep
not from the memory of the great rock that

I feared so deeply that sat out in the dry barren land. 

I weep because it was upon that great rock that

the savior seen my soul and covered my body

with the hand of God, the hand of protection.  I no longer

shiver at the thought of that moment but praise God

that at the moment he covered me with his almighty hand

for a reason.  He covered me so that I could help others

see that in the midst of the deepest darkest storms of life

there is a calm peace that can set over your spirit and set

you free. 

 

You will be free to move past the storm and to

set you eyes on what God has truly designed for your

life instead of what satan's destructive hand would desired

for your life. 

 

God is bigger than the storm.  He is mightier

than your scar, he loves deeper than you can imagine

and he calls you his child. 

 

In your trial if you move to the heart of God,

the eye of the storm, he will give you a song, or the words

you need to find that healing. 

 

If you stay in the storm with your guns loaded

and ready to fire back at those who harm you,

it might be that you never find this healing. 

You will never know real peace until you let

go of the pain and let God smooth it over with

His words and hide your soul in the cleft of the rock.