Tips to Weathering the Storm
We have several trees on our little acre of land, so when a big storm comes in with lots of wind and rain, it can get kind of scary. BUT…since I’ve learned about God, I’ve learned that worrying about things over which I have ZERO control, is futile. I’ve learned that by faith, prayer and trust in God, I can rest assured that no matter the outcome, He’s got my back.
Recently, we had a pretty nasty storm heading our way. My daughter’s boyfriend seemed frantic, knowing that our trees would surely come down. He couldn’t understand why we were so calm. I told him to repeat after me and I started to pray. He stopped me and said he’d already prayed. I told him if he already prayed, then he needs to let it go and believe God for what he asked of Him. What he doesn’t know is that I speak to my trees! Well, I speak to God ABOUT my trees. Before a big storm, I will literally walk around my yard and pray for the trees to remain strong, that limbs would not fall and damage our house or property. This may seem overboard for some, but in the 20+ years we’ve lived here, and we’ve weathered MANY storms, we’ve lost only one tree, and it fell opposite of our house and hit our neighbor’s car during a hurricane. (oops…note to self, next time add to prayer, “neighbor’s house and property!”)
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” If we but don’t believe God is capable of doing what we ask of Him, why do we pray? It’s like going to a doctor to get medicine for what ails us and then not taking the meds because we don’t believe they’ll work. We have to trust that the doctor knows how to make us better. If we pray and don’t believe, we’re just practicing religion, not allowing God to intervene in our situation. But when we give our cares to Him, trusting that He is faithful to His word to never leave us or forsake us, then we are practicing relationship, and can find peace in our storms. Another favorite verse of mine is James 3:10, “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” You can’t pray for God’s hedge of protection and then be full of fear and anxiety. It’s one way or the other…you can’t ride the fence when it comes to faith. You’re either all in or you’re not.
The next time a storm is brewing, and by storm I don’t just mean the Mother Nature kind, pray for God’s protection and then find peace knowing He had you covered before you even prayed!