Hurricane Melissa: Trusting the Stillness Before the Storm

ZC Admin
Oct 27
4 min read

As the Storm Moves:

I’m writing this as Hurricane Melissa edges closer to Jamaica. They’re calling her a catastrophic category 5 hurricane. Right now, she is on the path to move right over our community. The forecasts speak of surges, walls of rain, and winds that will tear through homes and memories. By the time you read this, power may be gone, roofs may be lifted, and parts of our island will need to be rebuilt. Lives will change. Some may be lost.

I don’t take that lightly. Every breath until, is a prayer—for safety, for mercy, for calm in the middle of chaos.

And yet, as this massive storm gathers itself just offshore, something quieter is gathering inside me too.

Potentially our last walk in our beautiful community before the storm changes the landscape.

This Waiting

For nearly a week Melissa hovered in one place, circling in one area in the sea while the island prepared. It would normally have reached us by now - but it was still.. Paused.

Strom wont move — The green dots are where it stood for days - circling in one place.

We stocked up, boarded up, filled barrels, and still she lingered—growing stronger, deciding her path.

Now she’s moving, and so am I—though only inwardly. This waiting feels like the waiting I’ve known for years: that long standstill between storms of the soul, when you’ve done everything you can and life simply won’t shift.

The Moment I Gave Up

A week ago I was empty. Four years of trying—spiritually, practically, emotionally—had drained me. I had prayed, worked, trusted, tried again, begged, and still couldn’t catch a break. I wasn’t angry anymore; I was numb, but decided to truly trust God - You can read about it here in last weeks blog When You’ve Done All You Can - Time to Trust

That same night I wrote that blog post, I saw Elizabeth Gilbert on Oprah’s Book Club talking about a practice she does each morning. She simply asks,

“God, what would You have me know today?”

It sounded so gentle, so un-strategic, - it wasn't asking - "How do I fix this, or how can I get there or here? It was a simple, faith filled question - trusting that god will give what you need, not what you want. It was in alignment with my journey with God in that very moment - so I tried it. I sat with a pen, asked the question, and waited.

And something happened. Words began to pour through me—words not in my usual vocabulary, but calm, complete sentences. “Oh My God (literally) - it is happening!” I can not begin to express to you how potent the moment was. I will not share all the poetry and downloads that filled my pages that day - and I will speak on this more in the near future. But the Divine was present. God was with me, pouring through me. It was glorious, and perfect. And oh so exciting.

One line caught my breath:

“The circumference of the polarity is final. You shall know me in the coming days.”

I stared at the page. Circumference? Polarity? I don't think I have ever used those words in a sentence - yet they felt alive, almost electrical.

Understanding the Message

It took time to understand, but as Melissa circles the island, I think I do. The line was telling me that the long clash—the push and pull between faith and fear, effort and surrender—had completed its circle. The lesson had gone as far as it could go. The standstill wasn’t punishment; it was preparation. God was always with me. Through every storm. Giving me just enough to be ready.

Sometimes heaven pauses the wind until the prayer beneath it is ready to be heard.

As the Storm Lingers

Across Jamaica, teams are clearing gullies that have been blocked for years. This delay of Melissa is allowing it. Crews are trimming trees that should have been cut long ago. Neighbours are checking on neighbours. The pause before impact is forcing a kind of collective cleansing. A collective re-group. An Island wide community.

Prepping the storm — From the Jamaica Gleaner Editorial

That’s the hidden grace of delay: the pause that builds strength.

I mean, how glorious is that!

What if our personal delays do the same? What if life stalls not to torment us but to fortify what must hold when the winds finally arrive?

For Those Still in the Standstill

If you, too, feel stuck in a storm that won’t move, know this: you are not forgotten; you are being fortified. If you’re here with me in this waiting, may you feel the same quiet hand holding yours.

I am not afraid of this storm because of this new connection and understanding.

I am not afraid of what waits on the other side—personally, spiritually, externally, or even in the aftermath—because I can feel a hand guiding me.

I feel held in love.

I feel dissolved of chaos.

I believe that on the other side of this storm is simply the other side of this storm, and together with God, we can overcome anything.

I feel less panicked because of this connection—because of this love.

Shift your gaze.

Adjust your focus.

Notice what’s being cleared in silence.

Sometimes there is nothing to do but observe and stay alive until the circle completes itself.

A Final Reminder

Right after I received the message “The circumference of the polarity is final. You shall know Me in the coming days,” I asked God, “What do I do until then?”

And my hands wrote:

"Love the parts of life that feel stagnant. Motion will come."

And I am beginning to believe that when motion does come, we will realize that this waiting was sacred work.