Grand Canyon, Day 1

The blessing of living on the coast! There is nothing like the peacefulness of a rushing coastal storm in the early hours of the morning, when it's still black as night.  Why does it refresh me so much?  Oh my soul!

And I'm here, tucked away in my own little fort, laying snuggled in a blanket with my Bible and my tea, listening to the wind rush hard through the trees and the rain beat against the house in turns. This is the perfect soundtrack for prayer, reading, and rest.  

To me it's crazy that there are people who have never had the chance to experience a real storm like we have here, and the muted calm of the gray skies afterward.  I tell Jeff, I'll never get used to it; never tire of it and wish I were somewhere else. 

The really interesting thing about the storms is that they cause such a calm in my spirit. When the wind blows loud and crashing, and thunder shocks the sky, my mind gets quiet without even telling it to. Just as wild and turbulent the ocean is, my heart is equally placid.  The storms that I have been fighting in my spirit are put into perspective and calmed.  It happens without a thought on my part--I only just now notice that it's true.  I can hear a sliver of God's power, and I am quieted by His strength.  Surely the God who commands this storm across the Pacific is able to care for the cancer in Julie's body.  It is no great feat for Him.  If he can keep us physically in these giant storms, He can keep our hearts in our weaknesses. When we lack faith or are unsure of what to do.  We just hunker down in our houses, firmly built on the Rock, and wait out the storm.


“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27

Recently, I was telling Jeff that in all the references to enemies and victories in the Word, I have a hard time relating.  I don't have anybody coming after me with their armies.  Nobody seeks my life.  My husband reminded me that, indeed, someone does seek to kill and destroy.  That there is a spiritual battle going on always.  That opened my eyes, and now when I read these things, they make sense and are a good reminder of the things going on that I am not aware of as I go about the day. Anyway, this chunk is too good to not include the whole thing.

		“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.
		I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
		“For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;
		the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
		“In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.
		“Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
		Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
		He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
		He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind.
		He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water.
		Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth.
		The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice.
		And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them.
		Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
		“He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
		He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
		They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
		He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
		“The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
		For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
		For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
		I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
		And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.
		“With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
		with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
		You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
		For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.
		For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
		This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
		“For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
		This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.
		He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
		He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
		You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.
		You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip; 2 Samuel 22