This time of year can be a very unsettling time for those of us live on the east coast or even the southeast of the United States, because it's hurricane season. Those of us that are familiar with hurricanes understand that they can be very dangerous even deadly. We spend a lot of time preparing for these storms, by ensuring that we have all the supplies we need. We make sure that we have drinking water, unperishable foods, batteries, candles, and anything that will help us survive. We make sure that our vehicles are filled with gas in case of an emergency evacuation and that we know the evacuation routes we should take. We do not wait for the storm to hit us to plan; planning and preparation before it arrives makes us ready for the rough times ahead. I recall being a teenager in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo made landfall here in Charleston SC. The results of such a powerful storm were utter devastation and peril. Our homes, communities and neighborhoods were unrecognizable. The storm had left many of us with nothing but desperate attempts to salvage what was left behind.
Hugo was a natural storm that practically stole all we knew and possessed, but how do we handle the storms of life that leaves us broken, damaged and struggling to salvage what was left behind? How do you plan for the storms that are headed your way? First, we must understand that storms will come and no matter where we reside it will eventually hit every one of our homes. No one is exempt from storms, but only a foolish man would wait for the storm to come to prepare. We must prepare ourselves daily by remaining connected to God. We must maintain our relationship with Him by reading, fasting, praying, and rehearsing His word. This is how we fortify ourselves for the storms. In this, we are reminded that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. We are reminded that God's grace is sufficient for us, and we are reminded that God has already overcome the world, therefore we have overcome the world. This way when the storm hits, as it surely will, we are steadfast and unmovable. Matthew 7:24-27 says “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”.
So, whether it's a spiritual storm, where your faith is attacked, a physical storm that may come to attack your health or your mental, or a financial storm that may come to attack your money; remember that all storms come to pass. If you hold on to God's unchanging hands and allow Him to hide you, you will eventually look up and realize that the thing that was sent to destroy you has passed and that all the while, you were always safe in the storm.
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