The past week has been catastrophic for those in the path of Hurricane Matthew. My heart is overwhelmed for Haiti and all of the families who lost loved ones, everything, and those who are in the process of repairing and rebuilding. I was fortunate not having any damage or loss personally nor within my close circle of friends. We're truly blessed to have survived with minimal damage in comparison.
Matthew was my first hurricane and I used the time to think, write, pray, enjoy fellowship with friends, eat Reese's minis, and be amazed by God in a whole new way.
As my friends and I sat in the house hearing and watching the storm range all around us, the house was peaceful. We could hear the wolf whistles of the winds, the thrashing trees, and the water pounding down like golden gloved fists of fury. The storm shutters clanged and banged against the neighbors house like tangled tin cans yet the house was peacefully quiet. ..
I watched out the window of the sunporch as the trees praise danced and bowed to the winds and all I could think about was the story of Paul abiding in the ship. Acts 27 tells the story of Paul being out at sea with the centurion and the soldiers.
Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. Acts 27:29-31
I thought about this passage of scripture a lot during the storm and in relation to what was happening in my life. There was chaos swirling all round me but on the inside I was calm and peaceful. God had already told me to be still. Being that I am still human, still doesn't negate frustration. Yes I was still and quiet but I was frustrated and had a million questions in my head. I'm a thinker, that's what I do. I think, I analyze, I play it out in my head, look at the logical, look at ti from the spiritual, consider the what if's and anything else in between. I know that God doesn't work the way we do so sometimes trying to figure out what's going on in my life is like trying to do a Japanese word scramble. God said just stay in the ship.
The story goes on to say that the ship hit some really rough waters broke up. The men who held on to the pieces of the ship made it safely to shore. I thought about this as I sat and watched the storm and reflected on all that was going on with me and my friends. We were all in the middle of various storms but I heard God saying just abide in the ship. If you can hold on to just a piece of what I told you, a scrap of what I've shown you, you'll make it through. No matter what it looks like all around you, no matter what you see, how bad it looks or how horrible it sounds. just hold on to what I gave you!
I walked out of my friends house after the storm and it was absolutely beautiful outside. The sun was shining, the sky was clear blue with a few fluffy white clouds. You would never know that a huge hurricane had just passed through. The only evidence was the things that were knocked down and uprooted during the storm. Again I saw God speaking through the storm. Sometimes God allows the storms to come just to snatch stuff up by the roots that we may not have had the strength or power to knock down on our own. If we knocked it down the roots may still remain, but if it's uprooted we don't have to worry about that thing anymore.
The beach side was hit the hardest and even after the storm the ocean returned back to it's place. Though the waves were a much larger and the water had a new tinge, it too spoke volumes. My coworker shared with me that right after the storm the water was filled with surfers trying to catch the big waves but the water was a murky red color from all of the churning that happened. I know that snakes and gators are always a concern after a huge storm but I had never really thought about the ocean churning.
As she was talking God said, I had to allow some things that were lying in the deep to be brought to the surface so you can deal with them. I allowed everything to be turned and flipped and stirred up so that I could show you some things. It was crazy because the last few weeks my emotions had been all over the place and there were some days where I felt like an alien in my own body. As God continued to reveal things it made perfect sense. Just like the ocean we have lots of depth and some things get buried so deep down that we don't even realize it's an issue until the right situation arises. God had been placing me in those situations to show me myself and bring buried things up to the surface. I couldn't go to the next place God has for me without facing those issues and things that were lying in the deep.
I also took note of the surfers. Usually there are a few surfers sprinkled up and down the beach but after the storm more had come out of the woodwork. After Jesus had been in the wilderness praying and fasting for 40 days and night he was met with an attack from the devil. Something great is coming out of the storm so of course the enemy is sending his troops out to attach themselves, to seek any open door to sneak into your life, to kill what God planted during the storm, and to delay your elevation. The conditions of your blessing are the perfect coattail for somebody else to try and ride on. Be careful of who you align yourself with in this next season. Try everybody, every spirit, check every intention. Everyone isn't there to help row the boat, some are drilling holes while you're not looking.
God spoke so many things throughout the storm but I just wanted to share a few things with you. I pray that you've let this soak in and really hear God's heart. I know it gets rough, it's frustrating, exhausting, and seems unfair at times, but trust what God allows. Praise Him through it all and let your response be YES, when He sends you!
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