Embracing The Eye Of The Storm

Since the moment I willingly chose to give my life to Jesus and become a Christian, I have continued to experience an ever deepening holy dissatisfaction with spiritual mediocrity. That has been the primary impetus for me to earnestly desire to draw closer to God’s majesty - yearning for more of His glory.

Over the years of truly desiring to seek more of Jesus, I have experienced many storms. Tragic events, the effects of sickness and disease, and the death of loved ones have brought times of sensing terrible loneliness that cut to the very core of my being. Doubts have come, flooding my heart and mind like a raging storm that caused me to question my beliefs and faith in God. The whirlwinds of catastrophic events have sent me spinning and made me dizzy - as if out of control - so often that it was extremely difficult to find emotional and spiritual equilibrium.

My daily walk has at times felt like I was treading water and going nowhere. The call of God on my life was only an ancient echo. There has been intense pain from the feelings of rejection, betrayal, fear, insecurity, and abandonment. God has sometimes felt hidden and a billion miles away.

Even when things appeared to be going well there were times of puzzling darkness.

Throughout my life, it has often seemed as if a dark cloud hovered overhead and blocked out the warmth and light of God's beauty. The Bible felt dry and the heavens were as brass. I had become disillusioned, discouraged, depressed, and frustrated. What has brought me some solace through the years is the fact that I am not alone in my experience. The prophet Amos spoke of this very thing:

“Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?” (Amos 5:20 20 NKJV)

The Psalmist also wrote about his own experience with this when he wrote:

“How long, O Lord?” Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?” (Psalm 13:1-2 KJV)

These questions have perplexed the human heart for centuries. God can often seem hidden in times of trouble and pain.

One day in prayer about the troubles around me I heard these words in my mind – Embrace the eye of the storm! Well, that was certainly unexpected so I decided to do some investigating. What I learned gave me another glimpse into the ways of God and I share some of it today.

The Whirling Winds

When two air currents from opposite directions meet, a circular motion results called a whirlwind. A whirlwind is a weather phenomenon in which a vortex of wind - a vertically oriented rotating column of air - forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and air current variations. Whirlwinds can be seen all over the world and in any season.

A major whirlwind (such as a tornado) is formed from supercell thunderstorms (the most powerful type of thunderstorm), or other powerful storms and last longer than others. When the storms start to spin they react with other high altitude winds, causing a funnel to spin. A cloud forms over the funnel, making it visible.

Minor whirlwinds are formed by winds that do not last long. When a minor whirlwind on land hits something (a building, a house, a tree, etc.) on its journey, its rotation is interrupted, as is the wind flowing into it, causing it to dissipate.

Throughout the Bible, whirlwinds indicate the power and might of God. He is most often found IN the storm: “God hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm” (Nahum 1:3); He “answered Job out of the whirlwind” (Job 38:1). Elijah “went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).

The Eye of the Storm

The eye is a circular area with comparatively light winds and fair weather found at the center of rotation of a whirlwind. It is the calmest part. Surrounding the eye is the eye wall. It is almost a complete ring and contains the strongest and most violent winds.

Because the whirlwind is spinning there is a perceived outward force. This centrifugal force prevents the winds from entering the center eye of the whirlwind. The winds blow as close to the center of the storm as they can and forms the eye wall.

The way the eye and eye walls are formed is not fully understood. Some scientists speculate that the eye feature is a fundamental component of all rotating fluids.

Hundreds of theories exist as to the exact process by which the eye forms. However, all that is known is that the eye is necessary for storms to achieve their intensity and strong wind speeds. The eye can be covered by thick, dense, and dark clouds. The stronger the storm the stronger the eye is.