I know storms come into our lives. We can't escape them. It's part of being human. The storms of a family crisis, a death, a sickness, financial problems, relationship issues, etc.
The big problem for me is that often I don't see the storm coming and find I'm in it before I can prepare. Of course that's the way it always is anyway...who sees a storm before it hits? Most of the time we seem to be "flying blind" when we find we are in the middle of a big storm!
But really, who can be ready for a storm? Who can prepare for the crisis of life? Jesus said we can prepare. He told an amazing story in the gospel of Matthew...
Mat 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Mat 7:25 "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Mat 7:26 "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Mat 7:27 "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."
It's an amazing story because Jesus said that storm preparation is simply this- hearing HIS words and acting on them. That's all you need to get ready! We try to prepare by stocking food, getting flashlights ready, buying batteries, and a hundred other things. Many of you made these preparations in anticipation of the Y2K "disaster." But Jesus gave a completely different course of action to prepare for a storm. His disaster preparation course is this- listen to him, and do what he says! That's it.
What a bold statement! All I need for life and godliness is to listen to Jesus words and act on them. That reality still amazes me, still challenges me, still inspires me, and still humbles me because I forget it so easily.
4 comments:
Great thought - hadn't thought of it that way. But couldn't He just tell us how LONG the storm is going to be when it comes? He told Israel in Jer. 29 - "70 years". Not that I'd want a 70 year storm, but it would sure make it "easier" to tolerate. Hmmm...do you suppose that not knowing is what faith is all about?
As I was vaccuming (yes, I have really big epiphanies when I do housework!), I realized that this passage is the perfect passage for my HS girls Bible study tonight. Wow - thanks for your insights. I can see how God is going to use them already.
The temporary suffering we must endure in this world is more than worth it, when compared to the eternity we will enjoy with the lord Jesus Christ. Along with an eternal perspective, if we focus on helping others, instead of being self focused, we will have more joy, which makes life more bearable.
Schweers' mom,
If God told us what the length of our storms would be, we would become overwhelmed. If God told us when they were coming, we would get stressed out waiting for the day it was going to happen. It's much better not knowing what storms are coming. It gives us less to worry about and enables us to focus on the problems at hand.
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