When in a Storm, Don't Forget to Get Wet

A storm originates when a low pressure system is surrounded by a high pressure system. Small areas of low pressure can form from hot air rising off hot ground. Hot air will rise, and when the hot air collides with cold air, the hot air is forced up over the colder, drier air.

Now - when the warmer air is displaced upwards, it causes surface air pressure to drop, which creates a vacuum effect where the two air masses meet. Cold air then rushes in to fill the area of lower air pressure, and this in turn forces more warm air upwards. This starts a cycle of cold air rushing in, pushing the warm air upwards. It is this very turbulence that causes the storm. (Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_storms#ixzz1vRB6hgCW)

IMPORTANT

Please take the following as an observation not a judgment. This is not personal or targeted to anyone in particular! What I describe below has caused me to write my blog after being radio silent for over three months. Mainly, my motive is to avoid the assumption that Christians or "people of faith" are always in a storm, and it is so NOT true.

START…

I listen to Christian radio and am on Facebook quite a bit, and hear and see a number of people asking for prayer because they are “in a storm” – medical, financial, emotional, spiritual, marital / relationship, job-related and others.

However, the sheer number people who say they are in a storm on the radio or post it on Facebook - sometimes over and over again – has caused me to wonder if they’ve allowed themselves to get wet during the storm - meaning did they learn from the storm what God intended them to get out of the storm?

To be completely honest and transparent, I sometimes wonder if the posts and requests for prayer are for the right motive(s) –do they really want prayer and fellowship or are they looking for attention, sympathy or something other than what God intended. God knows our intentions, and it’s not my place to judge whether they are right or not, but I often find it hard to believe that there are some who are always in a storm. At some point, the sun DOES come out. Yes?!? And if the sun does come out, why isn't the sun shared as quickly as the storm…if at all.

Let me be clear…

Is it my intention to put a cease fire on these requests or posts? Absolutely not! We were not put on this Earth to live or survive alone. We need each other…to pray, to fellowship, and to care about and for. I commit, and hope you do too, to pray about my motive for the request and the words to post prior to ever hitting the keyboard.

…END.

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Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog!

Are you in a storm? If you are, then what?

When I feel the tendency to identify something in my life as a storm, I ask myself the following questions:

1)  Am I really in a storm? There are varying types of weather conditions, and not all constitute a storm.  I ask myself, is this really a storm or is this just a storm watch or passing shower? What’s the difference? If I can prevent a full blown storm from happening, it’s a storm watch. I have realized that by treating a warning as a storm, it has actually caused a true storm.

Hmm? What warnings have you mistaken for a storm? What happened when you reacted to the warning as a storm?

2)  Why am I in this storm? Storms happen for a reason. Referring back to the cause of a natural storm above, there are parallels between our personal storms.

·    Consequences of our sinful nature. When there is a difference in pressure between the choices I make and the choice God wants me to make, a vacuum is created. When a vacuum is created, our tendency is to fill it. What we decide to fill that vacuum with will often cause our storm, e.g. drugs, alcohol, fear, doubt, pride, sex, unhealthy relationships, anger, seeking approval or attention, <fill-in-your-blank>, etc.  

Hmm? What do you use to fill the vacuum? Why?

·    God wants to do work in my life that He cannot do in any other way. Prior to a storm, there are warnings that a storm is brewing…clouds roll in, sky gets gray, winds pick up. Until the evidence of a storm appears, I often continue as if there is no impending storm. But when the first drops of rain start falling, I take cover. God gives us plenty of warning that a storm is coming through various nudges. Many times, we ignore these nudges. When God needs your/my attention because you/I have failed to heed the warnings, he creates the storm that will allow us to accomplish what He needs to accomplish through us.  Sometimes it’s just He is using our circumstance as a stepping-stone for a greater plan.

Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (NIV).

3)  What do I need to do in the storm? Worst thing you can do is nothing.

·    Know God is present in the storm. During storms, it’s easy to feel God is not there. Know that He is present in every storm. “During a test, a teacher is always silent.”

·    Turn to God and seek His will. Eliminate the vacuum by surrendering your way to God’s way through prayer, reading His word and reflection. Often if there is no difference in pressure, there’s no storm.

·    Praise Him through the storm. Why? God is changing me through this experience to complete His purpose for my life. The change is always for the better, if I choose to see the good in it.

James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (NIV)

4)  When will this storm pass? Storms do end. Really, they do! But when?

·    It depends on God. He is always in control. I have to choose to accept and trust God’s decision to either supernaturally deliver me from the storm or give me the grace to walk through the storm…one step at a time.

·    And, it depends on me. If God keeps me in the storm, I still have something to learn. Patience and complete dependence on God does not happen overnight. If that is what the storm is supposed to teach, it will take time.

                                                                                                                                                

5)  What do I do after the storm?

·    I don’t focus on the storm. If I focus on the storm, I miss the joy that often comes from it.

·    I praise and thank God for bringing me through the storm first, and then teaching me what I needed to get out of it.

·    I spend time reflecting on 1) why I was in the storm, 2) how long I was in the storm...why so long or short, 3) what God revealed to me through the storm, and 4) how I will live differently as a result of the storm.

·    I share my testimony to glorify and magnify GOD, not to increase myself. This is where I really check my motives. Am I sharing my testimony because I want people to acknowledge me or see God’s greatness? If I recognize I am sharing for attention instead praising God…wrong reason.

Remember
Storms are not always bad. After a drought, a storm is very welcomed!

Father, I thank you for all the storms I have had in my life, and all those to come.  Sometimes I am very well aware of the reason, e.g. my action or inaction. And in other cases, I may not know your reason. But I do know that with each storm, you are transforming me. Please don’t stop creating me. I know you will never give me anything more than I can handle. Place the people I need in my life to help weather each storm. Search my heart Lord, and allow my motives to be pure when sharing my storm.  And Lord, after the storm, let me distill the lesson(s) you need me to take from it. Allow my faith in you to increase with the passing of each storm. Ensure that my thoughts, actions, words and heart give YOU the glory, always. Holy Spirit, convict me when they do not.  Thank you for loving me! In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.