Are You Ready For The Next Storm?

On April 1st I was awakened by the emergency storm alert on my cell phone. I disarmed the house and went out on the back deck. The air was still and sultry. I was exhausted from a long day of training so I went back inside and fell back into bed and was drifting back to sleep when I heard what sounded like a freight train. I jumped out of bed and outside the window lightning illuminated a wall racing up the valley towards my home. 

I ran for the basement.

I sent a text to my children alerting them that I thought I was about to be hit by a tornado. Then I heard the wind hit my home and it shook. I heard a crash and I could feel the air coming through the house and into the basement. I heard furniture sliding around and the sound of water inside the house. My son called from Korea and was encouraging me to stay calm. As the house groaned under the wind, I could hear objects flying around inside and outside the house. It was terrifying. I’d been through plenty of storms in this house but none this fierce! Later, the wind subsided and I ventured upstairs. I was amazed. The wind had blown my deadbolted double doors completely open and everything was soaked and in disarray, but—my house was still standing. I was alive. The wind had been so powerful it sucked my attic door up into the rafters. But today was not my day to die or be injured. My adrenaline was still running pretty high so I cleaned up the water and did what I could to set things right. 

Then I drifted into a restless sleep. 

The next morning was surreal. I was tanked from the adrenaline rush, but as I sat down to have my quiet time with God, it occured to me,

“Kimberly, you can’t ever be fully physically prepared to meet the next physical storm, but you can be spiritually prepared for the physical AND the spiritual storms.” 

Our physical life is so fragile. Health is tenuous. Circumstances are too imminently treacherous for us to live in peace unless we have a strong relationship with God. We have enemies. But God is our defender WHEN—we allow Him to be the Lord of our life. I was greatly encouraged by 2 Samuel 22. God reminded me of who HE is for ME when I place my life in HIS hands:

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence. 

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. 

When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears. [And what happened next?]

Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under His feet. He rode upon a cherub, and flew; and He was seen upon the wings of the wind. 

The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice. He sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils. 

He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. 

The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyes. 

With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure…and…You will save the humble people; but Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 

For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness… As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 

For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.”

2 Samuel 22:2-5, 7-11, 14-33

Life is remarkably unpredictable. We can’t absorb the terror or the pain; indeed, we weren’t meant to. But it is remarkable that even in the tumult of any storm we can have God’s peace that surpasses our understanding. God’s peace is a foretaste of the goodness that is yet to come. Someday we will have no more fear, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears or broken hearts. For now, we get to experience pieces of heaven amidst the hell on this earth. 

My friend, the storms are tough. They are painful and sometimes terrifying. We never know what they are going to look like. But we don’t have to. We just need to know God—who holds a master plan for our life. His WORD never changes. HE never changes. When we are willing to 100% follow Him anywhere and trust Him with 100% of our life—we learn we can trust Him in ANY storm. There is no promise that we will live for even one more day on this earth. But it doesn’t matter because, when we are born again and live in hot pursuit of God’s will, the unknown is dwarfed by the promise that we can experience HIS glorious presence—NOW and for ETERNITY.

We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.

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