The Calm of God - Part 1: Who Really Finds It?

In the past, I’ve written many blogs about the storms that life so freely offers to its participants.  Today is no different, and the expected results probably remain the same for most readers…
We encounter a storm - We seek God - He brings calm and peace to the situation. 

That sounds easy, right? 

But not everyone finds the genuine calm of God in their storms…often, not even His own children.  Today, I want to start this series of posts with no new information, only a reminder about who can really find the genuine calm of God…because, in the absence of change,  not everyone can.

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Life can be hazardous.  Without notice, it can all change.  Often that change brings us to a painful and unwelcome reevaluation of the status quo, and we must establish the parameters of a new normal, which is undoubtedly less than what we had initially hoped.  Hope for the future can be crushed, and our next step is unclear, clouded by a fear and doubt that is too great to be dismissed.  We are not calm; we are distraught and frenzied, possibly inconsolable.    

It seems that storms come with a degree of almost predictable consistency.  Never welcomed, they always seem to make it through the door, and their visit is disruptive, abusive, and undeniably messy.  But, why are often so pitifully unprepared to meet them?  

Storms can be so hostile to our life that those who claim no faith in God at all are often compelled to pray to Him for relief.  Those who do claim faith in God most certainly pray for relief.  But, there’s another category of individual that we should discuss here, and that is the person who holds a deep, intimate, and growing relationship with the Lord.  These are people who do far more than simply “claim faith;” these are people who, on a daily basis, broaden and deepen their relationship with the Lord…on purpose and with diligence.  These are the people who are prepared to face whatever storms life may offer up.

Here’s why…

 – Genuine Relationship Always Supersedes Claims of Faith

Their faith is not entirely built on what is taught in church, what is passed down through legacy stories of grandma’s great faith, or the information contained in glossy devotion books.  Instead, their faith is primarily built on what is taught directly to them by the Holy Spirit of God, working through their planned and purposed times of personal and intimate engagement with Him, as they seek the true beauty found only in the daily pursuit of close association and interaction with God Almighty.  

These are people who diligently search the Scriptures, not for out-of-context promises or specific answers to escape the problems of life, but, instead, these are people who search the Scriptures to find the true face of God Himself.  These are people who really want to know God as He is.  They want Him full-on at face value.  They are not satisfied to limit their understanding of Him to the teachings of other well intentioned, but often flawed, followers of what may only be religion.  Instead, they want (in the words of a great worship song) to “sit at His feet, drink from the cup in His Hand, and hear His heart beat.”  They have moved their attention from the corporate move of mainstream religion, which may teach literally anything, and focused instead on building a real relationship with God…one on one...as it was intended.

Let me be clear…I’m not saying to bypass church or doubt the teachings of legitimate and devoted men and women of the faith.  What I am saying is that, in our walk with God, we should venture away from the consumerism of shiny streamlined religion and become self-feeders.  Not only that, we should become voracious self-feeders, relentlessly pursuing the knowledge of God from a level of one-on-one intimacy with Him.  This level of intimacy begins and ends daily in a quiet room with an open Bible and a prayerful heart, a heart that is genuinely ready to listen.  It is here where our real friendship with God begins.  It is here where we are transparent, and it is here where we genuinely talk with God, one-on-one.

Back to this third category of individuals…

They do not open God’s Word to find the way to more material wealth, nor do they open it seek out the easier climb up the ladder of their life.  Instead, these are individuals who open God’s Word specifically to find the "road less traveled”…the steep and narrow route…the only way to peace…the only real way home.

While those who claim no faith, and those who do claim faith, are desperately praying for relief from the storm, as that relief (or removal) can become their only marker for answered prayer, those who hold a deep and intimate relationship with God are simply praying to find God within the storm itself.  They may certainly be praying for the storm to subside, but they are first and foremost trying to find God within the fury.  They are not necessarily trying to find relief through the removal of the storm.  They are just trying to find God.  They understand that “relief” is not defined as the absence of the storm; “relief” is defined by their recognition of God’s presence, storm or no storm…come what may.  

It is the recognition of God’s presence where real calm can begin.  This is often a place far beyond the faith of many who claim Christ as Lord, because the foundation of that faith is not measured by their church attendance or their copious transcription of sermon notes once a week; instead, the foundation of their faith can only be measured by the depth and relevance of their genuine daily walk with the Lord.

How can we find the real calm of God?  We should start by examining the unadulterated truth about our relationship with Him.


Next... Part 2: The Strength Behind the Calm