(4)For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall. ⁽⁵⁾Like heat in drought, You subdue the uproar of aliens; Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced. ——-Isaiah 25:4-5 (NASB)

Sometimes we have to learn how to get “peace in the midst of the storm.” When I was young, my dad built and operated a cruise boat on Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. One night during a cruise, the weather abruptly changed from partly cloudy to torrential rain and thunderstorm. The Coast Guard issued a warning to boaters to get off the lake, so we began the process of turning around to go back to the dock. As we made the wide swing with the big boat, we saw a small recreational boat bobbing in the water. By then, the lightning and thunder was nearly deafening, and was cracking close to us all around that part of the lake. It was beautiful and dangerous all at once.

We came alongside the boat and found a whole family, Mom, Dad, and kids, completely drenched. Their boat had run out of fuel, and their radio was not working. So we “heaved to,” tied their boat to ours and rescued them from a stormy night. They were so grateful, they sobbed tears of relief. It made me cry to see them so happy. The storm was stopped in their view, even though the waves and rain and thunder continued on the lake.

I don’t know about you, but when storms arise in my life, I’m not always the perfect picture of peace. Sometimes God brings a big boat to rescue us, sometimes we have to swim, and sometimes He stills the waves. But He is always there for us, no matter how He chooses to help us get safely out of the storm.

Sometimes its comforting to know that others are there with us as we go through the storm! Praying for one another is about doing that: drawing close to people as a help in times of trouble. Sometimes the battles are harder than others, sometimes it’s a rejoicing. We are friends, family of God, and we can come alongside each other when things look hopeless. I want to be a rescue boat, how about you?