The Storms: HOW TO PREPARE FOR A STORM
Before a storm hits, fishermen scurry to grab their poles and bait, and they head out to catch fish.
Farmers rush to get sensitive crops harvested.
So also, when we see storm clouds of God’s wrath rising, we hurry to share the gospel and warn our friends and loved ones.
We urge people to repent and forsake their sin, and to flee from the coming destruction.
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).
What does it mean to “come out” of Babylon?
It means to repent!
It means to stop our sin, confessing it to YHVH, and to turn around and “seek righteousness, seek humility.”
We also prepare by hiding in a basement.
We take shelter!
Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
For behold, YHVH comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain (Isaiah 26:20-21).
Even when the storms are the making of our enemies, we can also seek shelter in YHVH our God.
He is a shelter to His people!
As for me, I will call upon God,
And YHVH shall save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.
God will hear, and afflict them,
Even He who abides from of old…
Cast your burden on YHVH,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:16-19, 22).
AFTER THE STORM HAS PAST
Storms do leave damage, so after the storm, we have clean-up to do.
Our structures take some damage.
Roofs blow off.
We have debris in our yards.
Water and mud everywhere.
Trees blown over.
There might be loss of power from downed power lines.
We often worry about others and how they might have survived the storm.
Confusion and fear could overwhelm you.
The enemy takes this opportunity to rush in and add to the troubles.
When the storms come because of the “principalities and powers,” we often see that the Enemy attacks our authority in Yeshua.
He makes us doubt whether the Spirit of God is able to do anything at all in our lives.
He accuses the brethren, often the leaders of our congregations.
He causes discord, strife, jealousy, pride, and evil speech.
But when we see the storm for what it really is — “the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” — then we don’t start battling against people.
Rather, we take shelter in our God, trusting in Him to fight on our behalf and to defend us.
Storms also bring cleansing and renewal.
Have you ever smelled the amazing freshness of the air after a thunderstorm?
The grass is greener, the birds’ songs are clearer.
In the same way, storms refine us, blowing away all the clutter in our lives, focusing our trust on our loving Father.
And the coming storm upon all the earth, when the wicked are judged?
Just think about holy and pure our world will be afterward!
And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
When YHVH has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, then YHVH will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night.
For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain (Isaiah 4:3-6).
DO YOU SENSE A STORM IS COMING?
I do. A lot of other people have mentioned it, too.
But we don’t need to be afraid.
Yes, we might have to hide sometimes, when the storms of life (caused by the wicked) come into our lives.
We should hide in Christ, in his word and his promises.
When even our Father allows storms to touch us, we don’t need to be afraid.
Things might be different on the other side, but it is all allowed by His love, His providence, and His great wisdom.
He is our shelter.
He is making all things new.
We can trust Him. When you find that you are in a storm, trust GOD.
When you are coming out of a storm, trust GOD.
