There's A Storm A Coming!

I woke up this morning in my recliner to my cell phone's texting alert (It's a Star Trek communicator chirping - yes I'm a geek).  Thinking that I was dreaming about someone texting me and wondering who would be doing such a thing at this early hour.  That's when I heard the thunder and the fog in my brain lifted and I got up to grab my phone realizing that it was probably an alert from my local news radio station KRMG.

Finding my phone I quickly tried to focus my eyes so as to read the incredibly tiny images of letters on my cell phone screen and came to realize that we were under a severe thunderstorm warning.  Turning to my television, I found the local station and saw the normal spring weather radar image of Oklahoma with it's various colors indicating the strength of the storms.  After a few moments I realized that there was no fear of rotation in my area, and set about turning off my computer (There was an enormous amount of lighting in the area) and decided to make a pot of coffee.

It's a funny thing to me,  living in Oklahoma and watching how people become so quickly afraid when the weather gets like this.  I'm not saying that anyone who is afraid is wrong in their thinking, but I do wonder why it is that some people seem to fall apart when the storms arrive.  I'm not talking about taking precautions and stuff, I'm talking about when people actually cannot function because of the unknown.

I have always been fascinated by storms, and living in Oklahoma I get the opportunity to watch a lot of them.  I'm reminded of a time when my son Micah was probably about ten, he was at a friend's house when a large storm rolled in, and the tornado sirens did in fact go off.  He and the family he was with gathered in the hallway with mattresses and emergency supplies and began to pray.  After the storm had passed and when I saw him later that night, I asked him if he watched the storm like we usually did at home, and he told me no, that he was so scared, he didn't know what he was going to do.  I remember asking him why he was scared, and he said, "I don't know dad."  And he was really upset then that he'd missed a really cool storm.  I realized then the power that fear has in a person's life.  Micah and I have always sat on the porch and watched the lighting since he was a little bitty baby, and this one time he was scared, and it was because those around him were afraid, and that fear jumped off on him.

Storms are unpredictable that is true, but Jesus is not.  Actually it is said that He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8)  And that brings me peace, regardless of whatever I face in this life; storms or any other uncertainty life may bring my way.  Jesus will always be the same, and that is something that we can count on.  The enemy wants us to fall apart when things become tense, he knows that if he can get us looking at the storm instead of Jesus we will fall apart, I mean look at Peter walking on the water.  What caused him to begin to sink?  He was looking at the wind and the waves and not at Jesus.  What about the time the disciples were in the boat during a storm and Jesus was asleep in the back, (I am like Him in this one area, I can sleep through a storm) and they asked Him, "Don't you even care that we are about to die!?!"  Jesus rebuked the storm, and then berated them about their lack of faith.  (I actually think He was upset because they didn't do something about the storm.)

I'm amazed at how people are surprised when the storms of life throw them a curve and they become so unnerved by the fact that something like that has happened to them.  It's as if they believe that because they are a born again Christian they are promised to never have trouble.  I'm pretty sure Jesus never said that, in fact what He did say is that in this life you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.  (John 16:33)  This Scripture used to bother me somewhat, and every time I read it, I would say in my heart, "Well that's good for You Jesus, but I'm still here on the planet and You're not."  After a few years of this, one day the Holy Spirit quickened my heart and said to me, "You are in Me, and if you stay in Me, then you too will overcome the world."  I quickly repented, and said to the Lord, "Oh, yeah that makes sense."

I know that storms are going to come my way, and they will come your way, but it is what we do when those storms arrive that will make us or break us in life.  Prepare yourself, and stay close to Jesus then you will make it when the wind is whipping around you and you are uncertain of the future.  You will probably even be able to lay down and go to sleep without any more worries.  Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!