Bracing for a monster storm

The Northeast is preparing today for an enormous blizzard which will already be on the ground by the time many of you read this blog posting.

I texted our daughter in Manhattan who already has her snow boots by her apartment door, ready and waiting, preparing to work at home Tuesday, if need be.  We are not talking the slight possibility of snow which so paralyzes the hearts of those who live in the South, that which produces panic and clears off the shelves at every Kroger in town.  The forecast for New York is calling for multiple FEET of snow.  And they are ready for it.  Bring it on!

Living in the North nurtures a mindset of expectation, and snow is at most an inconvenient reality for adults and a delight for the children.  In the South, the very thought of snow creates a state of emergency.

The difference is all in the preparation.  The storms will come.  Even in life.  Am I prepared or taken by surprise?

Being a believer does not grant me a waiver for difficulties, just the assurance of not going it alone.  It is a matter of preparing for the storms, not if, but when.  And they will come in some form or another.  It does indeed snow on both the just and unjust alike.  (Matthew 5.45, my paraphrase :)

Being prepared with His Word dictates how we respond, not just barely squeaking through the hard places of life, but letting God redeem them for great good. Bracing for the monster storms of life takes place in the every days when the forecast is favorable and life is good.  And then in the crisis, God will use His Word in you as a shield and strength, no matter what is swirling around you and no matter the opposition.  God's Word changes you, and as a result, impacts everyone around you.

"God's Word is such that the more time we spend in it, the more it sinks into us -- into our hearts, into our thoughts, into our impulses, reactions, and conversations.  Are you mining daily from this treasure? Make sure Satan has to climb over a lot of Scripture to get to you," writes pastor and speaker John MacArthur.

Whatever storm you are facing
          both real or imagined,
          inside or out,
be ready,
your boots by the door,
     His Word in your heart.

Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storms of the wicked,
                 when it comes;
for the LORD will be your confidence
    and will keep your foot
                 from being caught.

                     Proverbs 3. 25-26