Irene means "Peace"

    Well, as most of the world knows, the eastern shore of the United States was hit with a hurricane last week. Honestly, when people started talking about us getting hit by a hurricane, I didn't really take it too seriously. Then I made the mistake of running to Walmart! Dumbest idea ever! But despite everyone's fear and panic, I can honestly say I felt nothing but peace. I mean, it's not like I have an ocean's view from my bedroom window (though nothing would make me happier) but there's always the possibility of flooding, trees falling, power going out; which that stuff happened, but not to me. There was no worry in my mind what-so-ever. In fact, I had my window open all night and the breeze was so perfect! The whole time I had a Bill Johnson quote in my head "You have authority over any storm you can sleep through". That solid truth kept me in perfect peace, and yes I slept very well that night thank you!
    The morning after, I went to church. I had to go early because one of the youth girls had slept at my house and was on the worship team. During the 8am prayer time God shared so much with. I was actually in the middle of complaining to my journal about a crappy situation I was going through when He totally interrupted my thoughts with a picture (I think He more so was just sick of my complaining...ha!). So I figured I'd just copy my journal entry on the revelation:

   "I'm sitting in prayer and God showed me the radar tracking the hurricane and said to look at it in the spiritual sense. All the storms in our lives, government, whatever, they are happening all around us, BUT! there is always the eye of the storm. The place of peace where it seems as though nothing else is going on! The storms cannot touch what is in the eye.
    Jesus is the eye. He is the place of peace and rest and when you abide in Him, when you rest in Him, nothing can touch you. You have authority over any storm you can sleep in. If you find the eye of the storm, you will find perfect rest, because the storms cant touch you."

    We can choose to focus on the storms around us, or we can choose to run to the eye and sleep through them. Choosing to sleep through a storm is not ignoring that it's going on around you, it's simply saying that you recognize the storm but you will not let it steal your peace! That's the enemy's goal! To STEAL our peace! We have to see it and say "Satan I see what you are trying to do and I WILL NOT let you do it!"
     I don't believe that it was coincidence that even though a hurricane came through, it was given the name Irene. Irene means PEACE! Just a little reminder that we will have storms but His peace is always there waiting for us to choose to run into.

   I heard another Bill quote today that goes right along with this: "If we want peace that passes understanding, we have to give up our right to understand."
   And of course Jesus himself is the one who said "In this world you WILL have trouble, but take heart because I have overcome the world". That's a promise I can cling too.