In 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, we see that a smooth life is not what the apostle Paul experienced, nor is it always promised to us as believers in Christ. But, we can know that He is with us, even in the midst of the storms of life:
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not abandoned;struck down, but not destroyed.
10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Paul was not a stranger to danger, and he did not live what we would term a safe and comfortable life - in the midst of doing what God had call him to do, he encountered some hardships - he had a high degree of risk, but the reward was extremely satisfying and eternal. He laid down his life so that the life of Christ would strengthen him and flow to others, so that God would be glorified. Sometimes we have to step up or step out, to take risks, but we know that God meets us there and takes us through the difficulties and continues to do His work, for His glory.
In Psalm 57, we see the words of David as he faced danger in his life, being pursued by King Saul. Hiding out in a cave, he wrote some words of comfort and perspective:
1Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.2I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [his purpose] for me.3He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; "Selah" God sends his love and his faithfulness.
5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
7My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Three men who had been featured on the Discovery Channel TV series, "Storm Chasers", lost their lives doing what they loved on Friday night in El Reno, Oklahoma...
Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and Carl Young were among 13 people who lost their lives in the state that night. Tim was the founder of TWISTEX, the Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in Tornadoes Experiment, to help learn more about tornadoes and increase lead time for warnings. In 2004, he had told CNN that being near storms was part of the job.
"In order to get directly in the path, you have to be close," he said. "Actually I'm pretty focused on our safety, certainly, and I'm focused on getting the data and getting the right spot," he said. "You only have one chance to do it."
According to the CNN story of the events of Friday night, at the intersection where authorities said the three storm chasers were killed, crews hauled away a mangled white truck Sunday that had been crushed like a tin can.
Canadian County Undersheriff Chris West is quoted as saying, "...storm chasers and meteorologists and news stations, that's part of the vital link in getting the word out to people so that they don't become victims...A lot of these individuals have dedicated many years of their lives to going out and assisting and tracking storms, and getting footage and putting themselves in harm's way so they can educate the public to the destructive power of these storms."
If you've watched The Weather Channel with any sort of frequency, you may recognize Mike Bettes. He was in the network's tornado-hunt truck and it was picked up by a tornado, tossed 200 yards into a field and smashed to the ground. Bettes said, "I think this was just an erratic tornado. I think the size of it and the speed of it changed very, very quickly...I think the direction of movement changed quickly. And I think there were a lot of people out there that, you know, ended up getting stuck in positions we didn't want to be in."
Bettes described the experience as the scariest moment of his life: "I saw people in my life, I saw their faces flash right in front of me. And it just seemed for a moment, everything was in slow motion, especially when we were floating," he said. "I kind of felt like I was being lifted to heaven or something. I was conscious through the whole thing and remember the whole thing, but it's still a surreal moment."
It was indeed a scary night, with people on the highways fleeing the path of the storm in light of the destruction that occurred almost 2 weeks prior to that night.
I have to admit, my opinion of storm chasers was that of reckless adventurers just trying to get as close to the storm as they could to shoot pictures or video, or merely for the thrill. With the Samaras team, they were apparently dedicated to getting more information so that they could ultimately save lives. Same with the Weather Channel folks. And, I began to think about the concept of risk and the Christian life.
You know, the general principle is, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Storm chasing is risky business. And, these guys were obviously aware of that and were committed to safety. When we are chasing storms in our lives, we sometimes have to get really, really close to what might be dangerous - to our sense of safety or comfort, even to our reputation. We may have to become vulnerable to other people. There may be a necessity to speak out in the midst of a difficult situation, and we may risk losing our position or possessions. We may have to enter into a less-than-desirable confrontation in order to settle a matter. These could be considered risky pursuits, but we also recognize in order to do the will of God and progress in our Christian life, we have to step out and step up, stare down our fears, and do the right or necessary thing.
Life has a degree of the unpredictable. The storm in El Reno, Oklahoma will be remembered for its unpredictability - it was termed as a "wobbler". No matter how many precautions that we might take - and that's good - or how we plan for the future, short-term or long-term, there are going to be those occasions that we do not or cannot predict. We have to be as prepared as possible, reliant on the Lord and rehearsed in the Scriptures, so that we can have that sense of a firm foundation in the midst of the twists and turns of life. But, there are flat out going to be events that come upon us suddenly. And, in those times, we continue to trust that God is sovereign and that He has a purpose for us, even when things don't turn out the way we've planned or think they should.
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