Lessons From The Storm

Today we got our internet back after 2½ weeks of downed wires in our driveway. Power was out for 1½ weeks. We consider ourselves blessed when so many we know lost so much more. As with all storms in our lives, it’s the lessons we learn throughout the ordeal that provide value. Here are just three of the many we gleaned over the past 2½ weeks.

Storm preparation:
In the days leading up to the storm, the warnings came in increasing severity. Evacuate. Buy batteries, flashlights, generators, etc. Sandbag the barriers. Batten down the hatches (what are hatches anyway, and how do we batten them down?)

It was declared unequivocally to be the storm of the century, the perfect storm, the worst ever to hit our area.

Some believed the warnings and took proper precautions. Some decided they knew better than the experts. After all, doesn’t the joke go – who but a meteorologist can be wrong 50% of the time and still keep their job?

In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus provides a stern illustration of being prepared. The wise virgins took extra oil in jars along with their lamps. The foolish ones did not. While waiting for their bridegroom, the foolish ran out of oil. [While I was in a gas line last week, the police had to roll a car out of line because it ran out of gas while waiting. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant for today??] Matthew Henry’s commentary says, “Many have a lamp of profession in their hands, but have not, in their hearts, sound knowledge and settled resolution, which are needed to carry them through the services and trials of the present state.”

There are storms coming our way. It’s one of the bittersweet promises of the Bible. John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, thatin Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus says we WILL have tribulation. But we can also have peace in the midst of the storm. How? By preparing for it. Reading the Word. Increasing time in prayer with the Peace-giver. Build on a firm a foundation that will withstand the storms (Matt. 7, Luke 6).

The aftermath:
My husband’s MacGyver skills took center stage after we were left without power due to two enormous trees across the street that came down taking our power lines with them. Had it been left to me, I likely would have remained in the cold and dark with a few lit candles. But Tony saw other options – he got a generator running, snaked extension cords through windows, under the deck, over doorways, and provided us with heat and power (limited though it was). Because of that, we were able to provide warmth and shelter to my mom and my in-laws until their power returned.

 
Too often, after being devastated in some way, we sulk in the darkness or simply remain immobilized in our dismay. We forget the promise of Romans 8:28 that “… in ALL things,  God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been calledaccording to his purpose.” In ALL things, the good and the bad, God is at work. We need to open our spiritual eyes to see it. And (sorry to be blunt here) we need to stop wallowing and get off our spiritual duffs and connect to His ever-present power. When we do, we can provide a source of light and peace and warmth to others around us who are suffering.

Moving on:
While wind and rain caused considerable destruction and floods, in my part of NJ, the greatest carnage came from the downed trees. Massive trees still lie horizontally with their super-wide root systems exposed. Though their roots may be large, they weren’t deep enough to keep the tree upright in the fierce winds.

In His parable of the sower and the seeds (Mark 4), Jesus says that “…since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” The prophet Jeremiah states:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.” Jer. 17:7-8

When our trust and confidence is in the Lord, when our roots are nourished and grow down deep, we will be able to withstand the storms, the “trouble and persecution, “the heat” and “the drought” without fear or worry.

www.eternitycafe.blogspot.com

www.susanpanzica.com

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