"He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven." , Psalm 107:29-30 (KJV)
Have you ever sat in the wreckage of a season that seemed designed to break you? Have you felt the relentless pelt of life’s hail, those sudden, stinging betrayals or the dark clouds of a medical diagnosis that refuse to drift away? Does it feel as though you have been treading water for so long that you have forgotten the sensation of dry land?
We have all been there. We have all looked at the "dirt in the vase" of our lives, watching as the water turns murky with the sediment of our failures and the debris of our circumstances. But there is a secret to the aftermath. There is a profound, quiet power in the "After." When the thunder ceases and the air is thick with the scent of ozone and wet earth, the LIGHT of God begins its most delicate work of restoration.
In this Wednesday Archive Reprint, we look back to a quiet afternoon in 2008 where Pastor Anthony Joseph Massotti, Th.M. captured a moment of divine clarity in the midst of a transition.
The Archive: After The Storm In The Park (April 13, 2008)
Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. (Rev 3:8 KJV)
Today, while I was sitting, praying in a local park, I looked up into the faintly clouded, beautiful light blue, sunlight sky, I thanked God for such a wonderful day; especially after so many days (weeks actually) of rain, hail, surprise weather, and dark clouds. Praying on the park bench in the shade of a tree, by a babbling mini-creek which dumped into so a manmade pond, I felt myself deeply breathing in the gentle breeze, while exhaling urgent prayers of request for wisdom, leading, protection and more.
In the midst of it all, I looked straight up into the sky and beheld white birds flying above. I sat and I stared. They were not busily running from some place to some place. They were not in a flock being rushed by a leader who chirped ‘catch up you slackers’. They were not even foraging the airways for little things to eat. These two birds were doing a perfect elliptical dance upon the wind; round and round and round and round.
They were neither going up nor down; neither forward nor backward. They were not dipping, diving, or dropping. In fact if I had drawn the shape in the sky, and they were points on it, they were exactly at opposite ends of the slightly-off circle; going round and round.
It seemed so simple. It seemed so peaceful. I found myself wishing that I too could float so easily above the earth on such a fine, soon-to-be 75 degree day.
Praying, I found my heart reach out to God by the words I spoke next: “Oh, Lord everything you have created is so orderly, well designed. Because of them (birds in general) man knew that it was possible to get off the earth. Man found another way (other than flap, flap, flap, although, I hear man can do it that way too now) but they found a way to do it.” I then felt the wind upon my face gently breezing passing me by.
I inhaled. I exhaled. I stared. I prayed. Then these words rose out of my soul: “Oh Lord, teach me HOW to soar so effortlessly in you Spirit. Everything you have created must learn how to do what they are created to do. We (mankind) are no different. Help me get higher into Your Spirit; until I too can playfully soar with others on a warm sunny day in your Spirit.”
Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Will you join me in that prayer? Please.
Understanding the "Ruach": A Study in Spiritual Soaring
When Pastor Anthony Massotti, Th.M. reflects on the "gentle breeze" passing him by, he is touching upon a linguistic and spiritual truth found deep within the Hebrew scriptures. The word for "Spirit" is Ruach. It is a word that describes not just a phantom presence, but the very "breath" or "wind" of the Divine.
Often, we find ourselves exhausted by the "flap, flap, flap" of our own efforts. We treat our spiritual walk like a frantic scramble for survival. We are like the bird trying to outrun a predator, or the "wolf cloaked in sheep’s clothing" of our own anxieties, constantly checking behind us. We exert immense energy and find ourselves still grounded, covered in the dust of our own exertion.
But consider the birds in the park. They were not "busily running." They were engaging in an elliptical dance.
In physics, an ellipse is a curve on a plane surrounding two focal points. In our spiritual lives, those two focal points are Faith and Surrender. When we balance our weight between these two, we stop fighting the air and begin to use it. The storm was the "firebrand of emotional devastation," yet it left behind the very atmospheric conditions required for these birds to soar.
The Battle for the Mind: Spiritual Warfare in the Quiet
We must realize that the "Enemy" of our souls does not only attack in the thunder. He is a master of the "post-storm" malaise. When the rain stops, he whispers that the sun is a fluke, that more hail is coming, and that YOU must work harder to protect yourself. He wants to keep you from the park bench. He wants to keep you from the "babbling mini-creek" of God’s Word.
This is spiritual warfare in its most subtle form: the theft of Peace.
If you are struggling to "soar," it may be because you are still fighting a storm that has already passed. You are holding onto the umbrella of your own defenses when God is calling you to close it and look up. The "dark clouds" of the past weeks have already deposited their rain; the ground is saturated, yes, but the sky is clear.
How to Soar in the SPIRIT
As we look back on this 2008 reflection, the lesson remains urgent for us today. To move from the struggle of the "flap" to the ease of the "soar," we must undergo a transformation of perspective.
- ACKNOWLEDGE the Season: If it has been raining for weeks, do not pretend it hasn't. But do not live as if the rain is eternal.
- SEEK the Focal Points: Are you leaning too heavily on Faith without Surrender? Or Surrender without Faith? You cannot soar on one wing.
- BREATHE the Ruach: Take time, as Pastor Anthony Massotti, Th.M. did, to simply inhale the presence of God. This is not a complex theological exercise; it is the fundamental act of the soul.
We are often tempted to believe that we are the architects of our own elevation. We think if we study more, do more, or say more, we will finally reach that 75-degree day of the soul. But behold, the birds do not create the wind. They simply recognize it. They trust the invisible current to hold their weight.
Will you trust the current of the SPIRIT today? Or will you continue to flap until your heart gives out?
A Call to Immediate Action
Do not let this archive reprint be merely a "nice thought" that passes through your mind like a summer breeze. Let it be a catalyst for Change.
- STOP your frantic activity for fifteen minutes today.
- FIND a place of quiet: a park bench, a closet, a corner of your room.
- LOOK UP and behold the "Open Door" (Rev 3:8) that no man can shut.
- PRAY the prayer of the Pastor: "Lord, teach me HOW to soar so effortlessly in Your Spirit."
The storm has passed. The Light of God is breaking through. It is time to fly.
Original Copyright: © Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., 4/13/2008
For more biblical teachings and resources to strengthen your walk with Christ, explore our Writings or dive into our Statements of Faith.