I have been through a few storms in my life, so when I first heard the song, "Eye of the Storm," performed by the praise band at St. Luke's, I was too choked up to sing along. As is true for most of us, I would guess, many of the storms that I faced, I could not predict or prevent. The first storm was the longest: I watched a progressive illness take my mother's ability to walk when I was 9 years old, and eventually, as I grew older and was in college, it took her ability to hold up her head, or even use a pen. My prayers as a child were for my mom to "get better" and eventually, as my heart and faith matured, I asked that God's will be done and that I have the strength to be of help and face what needed to be faced. I lost my mother to this illness before she could meet all of my children or be the grandmother she had yearned to be.
When I read in Mark 4:35-41 that Jesus told the wind to stop and the water to be calm, sometimes I wonder why He is not calming the storms in my life to keep me and those I love safe, and then I remember that in many ways, He has. I found the strength to end my marriage when alcoholism made it unsafe for me and my kids, even with a heart deeply concerned and grieving for the man I loved and had married. I found ways to get help and treatment for us when severe depression created pain for me and for each of my children. I faced, ended and recovered from an abusive situation and unhealthy relationship to now find myself stronger and happier on the other side.
This song reminds me that Christ alone is the anchor, "when my sails are torn" and He was and is there to guard my soul during the days of fear and darkness. When I did not know the direction to turn next and when it seemed dark as night in the middle of the day, I see that the strength I found was in Him. My future is not how I imagined it, but in some ways, it is even better. I am sure more storms are coming... but with a hopeful heart, I know I will not face them alone.
Steph Spieker
Eye of the Storm by Ryan Stevenson
In the eye of the storm You remain in control And in the middle of the war You guard my soul You alone are the anchor When my sails are torn Your love surrounds me In the eye of the storm
When the solid ground is falling out from underneath my feet Between the black skies and my red eyes, I can barely see When I realize I've been sold out by my friends and my family I can feel the rain reminding me
In the eye of the storm, You remain in control In the middle of the war, You guard my soul You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn Your love surrounds me In the eye of the storm
Mmm, when my hopes and dreams are far from me And I'm runnin' out of faith I see the future I pictured slowly fade away And when the tears of pain and heartache Are pouring down my face I find my peace in Jesus' name
In the eye of the storm You remain in control In the middle of the war You guard my soul You alone are the anchor When my sails are torn Your love surrounds me In the eye of the storm
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