Storm photograph taken at Gulf Shores, Alabama - July 7, 2019 Camera details: Panasonic FZ18 - ISO 200 - F2.8 - Shutter Priority - 8 second exposure
This is a photograph I took while vacationing with my niece at Gulf Shores, AL in July 2019. After a day out and about, and some time on the beach, clouds rolled in and rain showers drove us back inside. As night descended, a storm moved in some distance away from shore and stayed out over the water It was a wonderful experience. While safely situated on a hotel balcony and under cloud over, the storm moved slowly past us at such a distance that we only experienced a brief period of light, sprinkling, precipitation with a pleasant breeze. It was fully night, and completely cloud covered. All of the lighting in the photograph is from the incredible electrical display of the storm.
Lightning had always been something I wanted to photograph. In recent years, beginning with the storm in the image above, I have photographed some very nice lightning shots. The magnificent simultaneous capture of the angry clouds coupled with the flashes of lightning behind the clouds, between the clouds, within the clouds, and between the clouds and the ocean below really struck me.
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Rather recently at a gathering with some fellow church members in discussion of the book of Revelation, one person spoke of how they were greatly troubled by the direction in which America was moving, and wondered what the proper Christian responses should be. He was genuinely concerned, if not outright worried, for our nation.
With all of the constant divisiveness, all of the hypocrisy, all of the violence and rioting, all of the lawlessness, all of the sexual confusion, all of the corporate and governmental corruption, the normalization of unnatural perversions and unsound mental health, the wanton government spending in spite of a skyrocketing national debt, the economical degradation and devaluation of our currency, the lackadaisical handling of the surges of illegal border crossings, the lack of enforcement and dismissal of immigration laws, the ineffective handling homelessness, the constant gaslighting by governmental leaders, the demonization of people who simply hold differing opinions, the apparent weaponization of governmental powers against political opponents, and a number of other woeful events, this new friend would get very worked up emotionally and angrily reach out to public and governmental leadership. He would press them to stand up to such evils, atrocities, and insanity even though he did not hold much hope that they could, or even would try, do anything to combat the decline we face. We have witnessed that individuals in leadership lack adequate concern, or mettle perhaps, whatever party affiliation they claim.
Another friend present with us in the study pointed out that most scholars and eschatologists (ones who study the last days) do not identify anything that could possibly be recognized as, or be representative of, the United States in the apocalyptic scriptures. There is much speculation as to why America appears to be absent. But the troubled friend was reassured that prayer is an obvious need, but pressing our leaders is also a proper reaction.
But more pertinent, it was pointed out that if one believes the word of God is true, which all of us gathered that night do, then what it records as to yet come to pass will indeed come to pass. It must.
Just as the long prophesied Messiah came in the person of Jesus, He didn't come in ways the people, including His disciples, expected Him to. He came as a Suffering Servant to bring eternal salvation rather than to throw off the temporal oppression of Rome as they anticipated. So each individual point and verse regarding the last days may not happen exactly and precisely as we interpret it, but the major points and overall understanding remains fairly universal among believers: the last days are coming, they will be full of wickedness and violence, and it will culminate in Jesus' return as the Conquering King.
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I was reminded of the recounting in Matthew 14 of when Jesus came walking out on the Sea of Galilea to the disciples in the boat far from shore. At first fearful, the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost. Jesus, still some distance from the boat, answered them by telling them to not be afraid, and He then identified Himself in an incredible way: eigo eimi - the Greek which translates as "I Am".
(See the article: I AM - Storm Master for an example of how Jesus did claim to be God in two ways with this one event.)
Peter famously responded.
Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
(Matthew 14:29-30)
It struck me that this was applicable to the scene I was seeing at our meeting.
When rescuers are dealing with distressed people in dire situations, they often tell those they are assisting to not look at what is around them. In those cases, rescuers try to keep the eyes of those in distress away from the horror and focused on the them. The rescuers will repeatedly encourage and instruct the distressed person to keep their eyes fixed on them until they have reached safety. For instance, if a person is afraid of heights and must be rescued from a high place, the rescuer keeps the distressed person's attention and eyes focused on them rather than the danger. The same could be done for someone in at grizzly scene in which their loved ones have not survived.
Looking at the source of fear, danger, or tragedy is when the situation becomes the focus rather than the safety that is ahead of them. Focusing on the situation is when panic can set in and possibly lead to their destruction. If the distressed person panics, they endanger themselves more and increase the difficulty of rescue.
God has foretold what will happen. Things will become difficult, His followers will be persecuted, and the world will fall even more deeply into natural, political, and spiritual turmoil. But that God has foretold it shows that He's in control of it.
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Helen Howarth Lemmel (1863-1961) wrote a popular hymn originally entitled "The Heavenly Vision". The hymn was based on a tract written by Lilias Trotter (1853-1928) entitled "Focused". Lilias Trotter was a born in London, England and showed great talent in painting. After hearing a message about the peoples of north Africa who had never heard the name of Christ, she answered God's all on her heart. She became a missionary in Algeria in 1888 and died there after years of sharing the gospel among the Algerians.
The chorus of this beautiful hymn may be familiar to you. It definitely speaks to this manner of issue:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
"The things of earth" can be those enjoyable things that attract us, those mundane things that distract us, or those painful things that trouble us.
So, what are we to do amid the storms that surround us like those things my friend and so many others of us have been troubled by? We keep our eyes on Christ.
Even when drowning in extreme depths of dangers, despair, and persecution we keep our eyes fixed steadfastly on the rescuer, Jesus Christ.
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A little later when we were on the porch and parting company, I brought the topic up again just briefly enough to say: "It's a Peter thing. Be aware of the storm, but don't look at it."
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