Everyone, no matter how perfect their lives may seem, has gone through a hard time, a storm. The intensity of the storm should not be judged, because each individual has a different threshold to endure their storm. Some storms will blow things around, and maybe stir up the dirt. Others will blow so hard that we feel like we can’t stand it. Then there are those storms that leave us seemingly without any power and perhaps some damage to our surroundings. Often in a storm, we bear down, close our eyes and try to “ride it out.” What if during these times instead of burying our head and hoping we get through it, we instead trust that we have done the preparation to come out safely and better than before. Those storms that leave us feeling powerless and torn apart, are instead opportunities to rebuild, to become stronger and better than we were before the storm.
When we are prepared before a storm hits, we will know that despite what may go wrong, we have the equipment, the food and the resources to maintain us through even the roughest, darkest storm. It is too late once the storm hits to run out and prepare ourselves, all we can do if we are not adequately prepared is “batten down the hatches” and ride it out as best we can. If we neglect our preparation and attempt this last minute preparation plan, something will get missed, something that could be potentially lifesaving, may be forgotten, or thought of at the time as unimportant until we need it and realize it is not there.
It is a given, storms will come. If we stay connected to the one who can calm the storm or steady the boat as we ride it out, then the hope we have to endure it is much greater; we have faith that something good will come from all of this. If we have eaten of the bread of life daily, we can readily recall the words that have filled our lives, prior to the storm. We easily can recall words of hope like these found in Romans 8 verse 28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
When we have prepared ourselves in the prayer room, we know that even during a storm, even when we cannot hear the voice of God that He is with us still, because of the times he has proved Himself faithful to talk with us as we come into His presence. Knowing that God is forever faithful we have confidence in Deuteronomy 31 verse 6 when it reminds us, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
It is in the prayer room that we develop an unshakeable trust knowing that we will once again hear the voice of our Master. Furthermore when we have prepared ourselves in the prayer room, we learn what the Masters voice sounds like, so that when we hear Him call to us and bid us come, like Peter who walked with Jesus upon the water in the midst of a storm, we can trust that voice and walk with Him regardless of circumstance.
It is not the storm that will define us, but how we choose to endure it. When the preparation has been done, our endurance will be increased, and we will be able to weather the storms with more confidence than before. God has a purpose in every storm. ~ Angie Hallam
