There’s a hurricane a-comin’!
I seriously cannot get that line from The Little Mermaid out of my head. Every time someone mentions Irma, I hear that sailor from the movie yelling from the crow’s nest of his pitching ship.
I tend to not be as excitable as the sailor. I was born and raised in Florida. So, hurricane season is usually not too alarming for me. Although I was here for Donna, David, Charlie and some of the other big hitters and I have seen the devastation, I have also been here for a lot of duds. Hurricanes that had as much force as our afternoon showers. All the prep for not. You know the prep: a lego tower of bottled water that you gained through fisticuffs with your fellow neighbors, a hoard of bread and canned goods, bathtubs filled with water for flushing, batteries and flashlights, sandbags, candles and games. Your plan of action is in place, including securing furniture, having an escape route and gassing up the car. You are good to go. Bring it on! Then. . . nothing. You don’t even get a chance to eat your Spam by candlelight. You stand outside, look at the sky, throw your hands up and think, “REALLY? That’s it??” Then you spend the rest of the year mocking the “stupid” forecasters that put us on alarm and made us miss work or a football game.
Our tendency may then be to not prepare for the next storm. Why should we?
Why do we do that? It’s weird, right? Our hands should be up in praise to God for sparing us, we become annoyed that all our efforts were for naught.
But. . . when the storm does hit–and it hits hard–leaving our lives in upheaval, we go outside again and raise our hands up and shake them at God and yell, “REALLY? Why God? How could you do this to us?!”
Here is what I know: The Bible makes it pretty clear that storms are coming.
Some of these storms are actual storms, like the one that Jesus and the disciples encountered on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8). This Sea is actually a lake. The lowest freshwater lake on the earth. The steep hills, Jordan rift and surrounding mountains set the stage for very violent, sudden and life threatening storms caused by fierce winds which can produce waves up to 10 feet tall. A lot of these disciples were fisherman, so they were well educated in the seriousness of these storms. In fact, it snuck up on them so fast that Jesus was taking a nap when he was awoken by his disciples yelling at Him, ”Don’t you care if we drown?” These were not drama queens that didn’t want to get wet. No, they were weathered men that understood the nature of what was happening. Their real life experience of the woes of storms led them to the conclusion that they may drown if something miraculous did not intervene. (Been there?) Now, let’s not allow the significance get past you that Jesus was with them– the miraculous Son of God. Yet even when they could physically see him–touch him– their fear trumped their faith. Jesus replied to them,”Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have any faith at all yet?”
They were literally with Jesus, yet they were not prepared for that storm.
The disciple Peter’s faith improved during the next one. This time, Jesus was not with them. He was up in the mountain praying, in need of some alone time. He came, though, when they were distressed and being tossed by chaotic high winds, walking on the water! So cool. Probably cooler than I can grasp. A bit scary for them though– they thought He was a ghost! Then, they heard His voice. The voice of a man they had come to love and trust. The voice of their Savior.
I believe, a shift was happening in their hearts. He had been prepping them for moments like these. Peter, putting on his big boy faith pants, said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to you on the water.”(Matthew 14:28) Jesus at this point did not calm the raging seas, did not quiet the horrific sounds of howling. He simply said, “Come.”
What? That should not be a thing, Jesus!
Why won’t you just tell the storm to stop?!
Peter was learning to have faith. He just watched Jesus do the miracle of the loaves and fish. His faith got tested and. . . He did it! He walked on water. That is until he turned his ears to hear the thunder, felt the splash of the waves as it slapped his legs, and saw himself with the potential of possibly being swallowed whole by the enormous waves. It was then that he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink.
Don’t let the sinking part be the takeaway. Watching Jesus do the miracle of the 5,000 and keeping his eyes on Him began the prep work he needed for the real storm ahead.
Jesus had to prepare Peter to trust the plan that God prepared since the beginning of time. Imagine the hurricane force of fear Peter must have felt as Jesus was taken from him, tortured, and killed. This was bigger than walking on water. He had to believe that all that had purpose. Then, without Jesus physically being there, had to relate that belief to others so that they can believe too.
Prepping was important.
All that to say. . .
Friends, don’t let Hurricane Irma catch you off guard. Be wise, be prepared. If it passes with no significance–praise God (seriously). Yet, be diligent in case it hits. The storm is not a surprise. It was foretold.
In the same respect, the storms of life were also foretold. The Bible is full of warnings.
“Stay alert.”
“Be wise.”
“Be on guard!”
But, just like in the stories with Peter, Jesus will be with you.
He may just rescue you, cause you to walk out in faith, or use your faith to trust His plan. Just be prepared.
- How do I prepare? Use the same guidelines as with Irma.
- Water –> Eph 5:26 “…having cleansed her (the church) by the washing of water with the word.”
- Secure (bind up) what is important. –> Prov 3:3 “Do not let kindness and truth leave you.; bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.”
- Trim your trees and clean away debris. –> Psalm 51 :10 “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
- Get your lamps (flashlights, candles etc) ready. –> Matthew 25:1-13 “. . .the foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them…”
Those are but a few scriptures imploring us to not relax in our faith, but be diligent.
But above all, keep your eyes on Jesus. The hurricane is a-coming, but you don’t have to be swallowed. Be prepared.
