Sandbags & Storm Prep

July 2018

This morning began with an unexpected surprise. My favorite meteorologist and all-around loved, local celebrity was on a karaoke/lip sync video on Facebook. One of the songs used was, “In The Eye of the Storm.” 😂 That was the beginning of this post, but I didn’t know it.

Skip past forty other things, including pizza for breakfast, an on-line church service, and then I’m sitting at my own church, where we are singing:

We will not be moved

When the earth gives way

For the risen One has overcome

And for every fear

There’s an empty grave

For the risen One has overcome

When the earth gives way.

My mind goes to mudslides, wind and rain…and hurricanes and sandbags.

Sandbags?

Well, when I saw the earth give way, it was sand, like waves crashing on it and eroding it away. That reminded me of hurricanes, and then sandbags. LOL

What lengths and expense do people take every year to protect their house from a storm?

Don’t they drop everything when that eye begins to form and begin nailing plywood and making preparations?

Your girl here really needs to get back on the Adderall, but I just don’t like the side effects. 😂

I am STILL in the worship service at church when I begin to compare the effort put into guarding our physical dwellings vs. having that same urgency and commitment to our spiritual homes.

What if we had a Trials and Tribulation (T&T) Prediction Center…like we have for hurricanes?

(This could also be called the Fiery Ordeal Prediction Center, based on your bible translation.)

And this is why I’ve become an introvert. When I start talking…this is the kind of thing that comes out. It’s just better that I don’t talk to people.

T&T Reporter: It’s really only a matter of time. Sue and Bill have had smooth sailing on all fronts for most of the year. I believe there could be trouble brewing when Johnny graduates next month.

Guest Expert (John Crist): Very true, very true. I saw him looking up drinking games on Pinterest and thought, “Check your heart, cause wine is a mocker.”

T&T Reporter: In that case, we should issue a Category 2 Trial Warning for their family. Let them know to get prepared immediately.

Are you laughing?

Because I’m laughing. It’s better than crying, which is what I was doing yesterday while I was writing.

However, most Christ-followers know the Bible says not to be surprised when trials and tribulations come your way.

In fact, the Bible is full of examples that do not include white picket fences and happily ever afters – on this earth.

Our forever home is in a place where storms do not exist.

▫️▫️▫️⚓️▫️▫️▫️

ANCHORED

If I am talking about storms and hurricanes, then you know this Hebrews verse is coming.

⚓️ Anchored is a catchy theme for Christian t-shirts and decor. During the summer of 2013, I did a bible study with this title and we had crafts with the same theme.

Anchor mosaics with seashells
Anchor shirts (yes)
Anchor hairbows
Anchor bracelets
And a fishing trip

▫️▫️▫️⚓️▫️▫️▫️

It worked out great that the title of our pastor’s sermon today was: Standing Firm in the Faith. It added more scripture to my weather-related ramblings.

In order to stand firm, what I told those girls five years ago was… The anchor is God’s word and His promises.

The Certainty of God’s Promise – Hebrews 6:13-20

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

I included the whole passage because I wanted to show what “this hope” actually meant, and I just loved this commentary (Benson) I found:

to lay hold on the hope — The promise (so confirmed by an oath) which is the ground of our hope;
set before us in Christ — Through whom alone we can have salvation, present and eternal;
which hope — In and through Christ, our righteousness and sanctification;
we have as an anchor of the soul — The apostle here alludes to an anchor, which when cast, both preserves the vessel from losing the ground she has gained, and keeps her steady amid the winds and waves, when the art and skill of the mariners are overcome, and they cannot steer the ship in its right course, nor could otherwise preserve it from rocks, shelves, or sand- banks;

That underlined part though…

Here’s the thing. You can normally tell when a storm is coming, especially on the sea. Clouds will form and the sky will darken, even if it is sudden, so you have time to grab the anchor, right?

Also helpful is if you have the proper weather app on your phone. 📲

That’s not the case with the storms of life. You could be happily writing your blog while listening to praise music and get a phone call that your daughter had a minor accident.

▫️And out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

It could be a broken leg at Christmastime, or a phone call at 1:00 a.m. saying your younger brother has had a stroke and is on a ventilator.

▫️And the earth gives way.

It could be watching a family say goodbye over and over to loved ones, and there seems to be no end to their grief.

▫️The mariners are overcome.

You could be trapped in The Upside Down and can’t find your way out.

▫️The Anchor Holds.

It really does. It’s not just a song or a shirt.

He is our Savior. Our Hope.

1 Timothy 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,

1 Peter 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy,he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

While I am typing this, I’m listening to The Light on Dish Network (not the most current music). I’ve just pasted the verse above and I hear, “You are the anchor for our soul, You won’t let go.”

I’m serious. I looked up to see:

I have never heard this song. I just had to stop and document this coolness.

(Michael W. Smith, I’m sorry I haven’t listened to you in years. I’m downloading this song now. )

Going back to my Trial and Tribulation Prediction Center, one of the things my pastor said today was to: Stay Ready for the Enemy’s Attacks.

We know we have an enemy and he wants to literally devour our faith by any means necessary. What would cause you to lose faith? Lose hope?

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:8-11

We know there will be storms (attacks, trials, problems, you-name-it).
The Bible is our warning system. The Holy Spirit is our warning system. I can’t explain it and I’m not going to try. I just know I’ve experienced it and it is real.
Be prepared now. Get your home in order. Yourself, and your family, with spiritual defenses: prayer, accountability, love, bible study – don’t let anyone wander away from the pack in isolation.

Fiery Ordeal Shopping List

Anchors for your soul
Plywood (or the Armor of God) for your heart
Sandbags for your tears

Wait. There will still be tears?

Those sandbags are just a precaution, but fiery ordeals normally bring a good cry.

However, standing firm against those sandbags will be your anchor. You will not be alone, and His peace passes all understanding.

This is just what it means to be prepared. To go through life thinking there will be no sorrow – it’s setting yourself up for a harder fall.

We need to talk about the hard stuff ahead of time – with our spouse, our children, family and friends.

So when the phone calls comes, we go to our knees, holding fast to the anchor, instead of falling apart.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 NLT

▫️

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

Psalm 91:1-2 NIV