The Storm Is Coming

James 3:16 (NIV)

  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

 I can remember vacationing at the lake as a young girl when all of a sudden the temperature would begin to fall and the wind would begin to move.  My dad knew instinctively, without the help of the Weather Channel, that a storm was approaching.  He would jump into action giving us all orders as to how we needed to secure the campsite while he secured our family's boat in the water's edge.  During those days we camped in tents and would all pile into our family's van seeking refuge from what could sometimes be very violent North Carolina summer thunder storms.  

Life is no different.  We can be enjoying our life when all of a sudden we begin to feel the temperature of a room or people change.  We begin to see a shift in a situation very similar to the shift in the wind before the onset of a storm.  Those who are close to the moving and guiding of the Holy Spirit will sense these things even stronger through discernment before any true signs of the storm actually appear.  When this happens it is our duty to begin praying like never before.  This is the time when prayer warriors should drop to their knees and cry out to the Lord for protection and defense from the enemy.  The storms of life are brutal and can leave us beaten and bruised.  They are real and they don't exclude anyone. 

God actually tells us very clearly that we will have trials in this world but to be of good cheer for He has overcome it all!  So, will storms come?  YES, they will!  But, what a hope and comfort we have in that God sends us warning signs before the storm hits so that we can prepare our hearts through prayer, fasting, and time in His Word.  I believe He does this so that we, too, can get our camp secure and braced before the storm arrives.

God Granted His Request

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

1 Chronicles 4:9–10, NIV Do you realize that you are no different than Jabez?  I have to remind myself every day that I am loved no less than any of those mentioned within the Bible.  I also relate to those within the Word of God like the man, Jabez.   There are days when I feel God may have put me on the back burner.  I never believe He has forgotten me or forsaken me, yet when long periods of waiting occur or suffering enters my life I have to be honest and admit that doubts enter in.  This is how I relate to Jabez.  His very name gave him a beginning of being associated with pain.  Even though much was "against" Jabez, he was still very aware of who his God was and the power of calling upon Him for help and blessing. When I read these scriptures it is evident to me that Jabez had no doubt but instead came before the Lord with confidence.  He asks for very specific things.  He asks for blessings upon himself and for God to enlarge his territory.  Some believe that is selfish, but not me.  God tells us all throughout the Bible that He loves us as His children and desires to bless us.   Jabez continues in his prayer by asking God to keep His hand upon him for protection from the enemy as well as keep him from harm and even pain. Again, some like to criticize Jabez by saying his prayers were selfish but I must defend him by saying, no, he isn't.  Do you know how I know he wasn't being selfish or self-centered in God's eyes?  "And God granted his request" is all I need to know!   I know God will grant my requests as well so I continue to pray with confidence and I pray you will decide to join me.

I Will Help You

For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.

Isaiah 41:13

Today marks the 9th anniversary of my husband's diagnosis with congestive cardiomyopathy, or unexplained heart failure.  It is difficult to believe it has actually been that long when I can recount each moment of that night in my head like it were yesterday.  What's funny is that after all this time when I meditate on the events that took place I can still remember the fear I felt that night and the way that Brian looked at me when he thought he was dying.  To be honest it is all pretty surreal and I lived it.  But you see, that's how God works.  He carries us through things that we cannot do on our own.  

Soon after the realization of Brian's situation 9 years ago, God sent our family Isaiah 41:13.  To most the message is simple but to us the message is true and filled with power and an ever present comfort.  To imagine the past nine year's journey without God holding my hand, whispering for me not to fear or Him helping me daily in countless ways is horrifying.  I can tell you today that this scripture is real and God means every single word of it.  How do I know this?  I have lived it for the past 9 years of my life.  I still remember sitting in waiting rooms and in the middle of the night watching Brian sleep and squeezing my hand until it hurt for I was holding His hand as tightly as I possibly could. 

Today I celebrate this momentous day for several reasons.  First, because I have seen through my husband that God continues to be in the miracle business.  Second, because I have a husband and my daughter has a father when doctors told us otherwise.  And third, because God has done some amazing things through our pain for not only our family but for others all around the world.  God really has used what the enemy meant for harm and turned it for our good and His glory.  Today I praise the Lord even more than I normally do for it is a reminder of His great love and power in my life and in yours!