Podcast 011 - Preparing for the storm - Part 3

Preparing for the storm - Part 3

When preparing for a voyage one of the crucial factors is having the right crew. My dad was so blessed to have myself, my sister and my mum as his crew. During our sailing days when the storm hit, we were right there - down in the cabin keeping warm and dry, while he was out in the cockpit getting covered in salt spray and buffeted by the wind, doing his best to sail the boat through the storm. Yes, we were a very committed and supportive crew. Not! Ideally at least one of us should have been in the cockpit with dad helping him sail the boat in the 40 knot winds.

In life too, we were not designed to ride out the storms by ourselves. For me when the storms come, I have a tendency to want to hide from people, just wanting to get on with my life with minimal interaction, hoping everything will go away. The effort to connect with others drains my emotional energy. However I know that for other people, like my husband, in the storm, they need to connect with people. It's probably the internal vs external processor way of coping. 

In our journey with Victoria, these differences in coping became very evident within hours of her diagnosis. Thankfully a social worker explained this to us and emphasised the importance of respecting the way each other will process through this storm.

That's a bit of a long introduction, but the key learning for me about this has been, that regardless of the sort of processor we are, in the storm, we all need other people. People who will love us, despite the out-workings of our stress. People who will pray for us. People who will fill the gaps emotionally and practically when we are unable to.

So we have choice number four in preparing for the storms -  will I connect with another human being today?


To position us well for both the storms of life we will encounter, and to support others as they go through their storms, we need to connect with other people. We were made to be with others. And not just be with them, but actually connect in a meaningful way, giving them your time and attention.

Jesus simply says,

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34 NKJV

At the weekend we were at the sporting ground and I had moved to the other end of the field to take some photos. This was the area in which the opposing team's supporters were sitting. I was intent on watching the game and getting some good shots. Ken came down to join me and he struck up a conversation with a parent from the opposing team, as Ken does!

It soon became evident that they were in a storm with some similarities to our journey with Victoria. Ken was fully engaged. I was only half listening in, still trying to get those photos! The more sort-of listened, the more I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit saying, pray for the child, now. So with God's courage I asked if it would be okay if I prayed for the child right there on the sidelines of the field. The response was yes. It was a precious moment.

There is much to be learned from this experience ...

1. Everyone has a story, a need.

2.Be Brave and connect - this parent could have stayed at home with her unwell child, but she didn't. Ken didn't have to strike up a conversation, but he did. She didn't have to tell us her story, but she did.

3. Obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit - believe in faith that He has a plan and is working in the unseen.

We need each other. Sometimes we are the ones that need support. Sometimes we are the ones to do the supporting. So many times I have had the image in my mind of Moses having his arms held up by Aaron and Hur.

And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. 

So Joshua did as Moses said and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the hilltop. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.

But Moses' hands were heavy and grew weary. So [the other men] took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

And Joshua mowed down and disabled Amalek and his people with the sword. Exodus 17:9-13 AMP

In my life, sometimes I have needed my arms held up, and I give thanks to God for bringing the people to do exactly that, in prayer but also in many other ways. Sometimes it has been me holding up the arms of others, what a privilege and blessing to do so.

Praise God for His wisdom of creating a concept called relationship - connecting with love, grace and forgiveness. He knows we cannot do this life alone, and we certainly can't make it through the storms and emerge stronger without God and other people. We need to connect with Him and others. 

We need people, and people need us. Every day is preparation for the future, so lets not prepare alone. Today, let's choose to connect in some way with someone and learn more about loving one another well, just as Jesus loves us.

"Let me give you a new command. Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognise that you are my disciples - when they see the love you have for each other." John 13:34-35 The Message

My last three posts have looked at some ways we can prepare for the storms that will come our way, by considering the choices that we make today:
1. How am I walking with Jesus today?
2. Did I read my Bible today?
3. Will I choose to sing God's praises today, regardless of what is happening?
4. Will I connect with another human being today on a deeper level?

As I said in Preparing for the storm part 1, making good choices in these areas enables us to:
1. More quickly recognise the oncoming storms in our life
2. Understand that we are not alone
3. Have the courage to make a good choice
4. Hang in there until the circumstance has passed.

So lets ask God to help us make good choices today.

Jesus, please help us today with the choices that we make. Help us to make the choice to include you in every aspect of this day, talking and listening to you. Put a greater desire in our hearts to be with you and read your word and meditate on your truth. Please help us to come to the place where we can honestly sing your praises, regardless of what is happening around us, knowing that you are faithful and trustworthy, always. Thank you for the people that you bring into our lives, help us to connect at a deeper level with them, and both giving and receiving love. Thank you Jesus for your unfailing love for us and your grace and mercy that enables us to get through each day. In your name we pray, Amen.

Podcast 010 - Preparing for the storm - Part 2

Preparing for the storm - Part 2

I wonder what has happened in your last seven days. Has a storm hit or are you in a time of smooth sailing? Is there a storm brewing on the horizon? 

Here is another every-day choice we need to think about, choices that are a key part of preparing when that big storm hits...

Choice Three: Will I choose to sing God's praises today, regardless of what is happening?

There are different places in which we have the opportunity to sing praises to God. The most obvious one is church. The church that we are blessed to belong to always has a beautiful vibrant time of praise and worship. An atmosphere where God's tangible presence can be felt. 

However for me over the years there have been days when I have been in church and have had to consciously choose to open my mouth and sing those words of praise. On those days my heart has been full of pain, fear and disappointment. 

My head knew all the words to the songs, but did I believe them? As I stood to sing, sometimes for the first couple of songs I just couldn't say the words. I had to let the words wash over me and literally soften my heart to allow God's love into the pain, fear and disappointment. 

In those moments of worship it was God's presence, His love, that enabled me to surrender, become more vulnerable, open my mouth to speak those words of praise and worship and trust that they were true.

Although looking back I can see that it was in my private worship times that I first experienced this true surrender. Often this was during time spent singing God's praises in my car. Times when it was literally just me and God, and through music and lyrics God spoke to me and restored my hope. Times when He revealed more of His father heart and love for me.

So in terms of preparation for the big storms, we can practice with the small disappointments, choosing to praise God in those moments. The more we choose to do this, the more we will experience what God can do in us at those times.

Then when the big storms come, we will more quickly make that choice to genuinely sing His praises, because we know that He will bring us through. It almost becomes a default reaction to choose to sing His praises regardless, opening a way for peace and love to flow into our hearts.

Here is some of Psalm 34, for The Passion Translation. I pray that as you read this greater revelation of God's love and faithfulness will wash over you.

Psalm 34:1-10
Lord! I'm bursting with joy over what you've done for me!
My lips are full of perpetual praise.
I'm boasting of you and all your works,
so let all who are discouraged take heart.
Join me, everyone! Let's praise the Lord together.
Let's make him famous!
Let's make his name glorious to all.
Listen to my testimony: I cried to God in my distress
and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears!
Gaze upon him, join your life with his, and joy will come.
You'll never wear that shame-face again.
When I had nothing, desperate and defeated,
I cried out to the Lord and he heard me,
bringing his miracle-deliverance when I needed it most.
The angel of the Lord stooped down down to listen as I prayed, encircling me, empowering me, and showing me how to escape.
He will do this for everyone who fears God.
Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God.
Experience for yourself the joyous mercies he gives
to all who turn to hid themselves in him.
Worship in awe and wonder, all you who've been made holy!
For all who fear him will feast with plenty.

Dear Jesus, please help us today to choose to sing praises to You, regardless of what is going on in our lives. Thank you that you hear our cries when we are in distress and that you answer us with your love and mercy. Thank you that you free us from our fears. Please help us to be vulnerable and to know that you are a safe place, always faithful. Thank you for giving us the freedom to choose to draw closer to you. Amen.

Podcast 009 - Preparing for the storm - Part 1

Preparing for the storm - Part 1

Continuing on with the sailing analogy, sometimes we  receive a warning that a storm is approaching. In my early sailing days that warning normally came via VHF radio. Now weather forecasts can be easily checked via a mobile phone, or a satellite phone.

But just knowing there is a storm coming is not enough to avoid it. Sometimes there are actions that we can take to avoid the storm. And sometimes we can't avoid them, as per my post last week - Storms and faith. 

But in both these situations, either in an unavoidable storm, or when we are alerted about a possible storm, we have choices to make - do something or do nothing. If we decide to do something, the next choice we need to make is - what do we do?

So what helps us to make a good decision regarding what we choose to do? I believe the answer lies in good preparation.

Good preparation enables us to:

1. More quickly recognise the oncoming storms of life

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 peter 5:8 NIV

2. Understand that we are not alone

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
 

 3. Have the courage to make a good choice

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NKJV

4.   Hang in there until the circumstance has passed

But the Lord Yahweh is always faithful to place you on a firm foundation and guard you from the Evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 The Passion Translation

They sound like fantastic things to be able to do:
1. More quickly recognise the oncoming storms of life
2. Understand that we are not alone
3. Have courage to make a good choice
4. Hang in there until the circumstance has passed

But how do we get there? What is good preparation? 

I believe good preparation starts today, with the choices we make in each moment. Here are some choices to consider.

Choice One: How am I walking with Jesus through this day? 

Did I wake up with a 'good morning Jesus' and then continue on my day without Him?  

Did I have a bit of a chat with Jesus this morning, and then call out to Him again in the afternoon when the children came home and things got a little crazy?

Did I go through my day and then as I crashed into bed, say Hi Jesus, start a conversation and then fall asleep in the middle of it?

Some food for thought. We are all in the process of drawing nearer to Christ, and it is good to sometimes stop and ask, where am I in this process? We don't need to feel guilty about where we are at, because God loves us regardless of how much time we spend with Him. And because He loves us, He just desires to have the closest relationship possible with us. 

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 NKJV

And relationship means time and communication - both talking and listening. 

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV

Choice Two: Did I read my Bible today? I am not sure where you are at with reading your daily Bible reading. I know I was very 'hit and miss' before our journey with Victoria. 

There was always a desire in my heart to read the Bible, but I seemed to get distracted so easily and some days it just didn't happen. Again God's grace is sufficient for each of us, wherever we are at. 

However now, after learning how essential it is to daily feed myself with God's truth, I definitely notice that I cope less well with the day's adventures if I have not spent some time reading His truth in the morning, virtually arming myself with His truth, ready to declare it forth when the sticky situations come - big or small. 

For example, in our family setting, one of my favourite truths is Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

(An aside, as I paused in writing this post to attend to getting my children breakfast and off to school, this very truth was tested! Not surprising given the nature of this post - but I will not be distracted from proclaiming God's word.) 

Reading God's word helps us to understand what is going on, and He also tells us what to do about it ...

Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Ephesians 6:13 NKJV

Reading God's word always helps me move from my little perspective to God's sovereign perspective (well the little that I can comprehend it). It reminds me that He has a plan, and He always has the victory.

Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything. Romans 8:37 The Passion Translation

In my next post we will look at some more choices we can make in our preparation for the storms of life.

Podcast 008 - Storms and faith