Mindy Lee Hopman

For I am confident of this very thing, He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Philippians 1:6

Confidence comes from knowing.  Knowing comes from understanding.  Understanding comes from seeing, trusting, and believing.

The daunting promise of rain we anticipated all day arrived with fury.  In the distance we saw it coming.  The whipping wind let us know that it would be upon us in moments.

The animals scurried to find protection, and we ran home for shelter.

The physical protection our home provided gave us a sense of safety and security.  We watched the radar to see how long the storm will last.  The tiny red, yellow, and green dots let us know it will come quickly, but be over soon.

God provides Spiritual protection and safety in the storms of life.

Storms are inevitable in our fallen world.  We walk though deep struggles such as job loss, divorce, sickness, death, separation, etc..  God’s Word guides us around some storms, take us through them, and hopefully keeps us from creating our own. Each one of us is either coming out of a storm, in the middle of a storm, or entering into a storm.

There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat of the day, and refuge and protection from the storm and rain. Isaiah 4:6 (NASB)

The adversary means to use storms to scare us and cause division.

God uses storms to draw us deeper into Himself.

We work hard to be “hurricane prepared,” but how do we prepare our hearts for physical devastation and emotional turmoil?

God commanded Noah to build the arc – a storm was coming.
God commands us to hide His Word in our hearts – a storm is coming.

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (NASB)

From the Old Testament, the Israelites knew the storms would come. They hid God’s Word in their hearts daily. Two to three times a day (at dawn and dusk) the Sh’ma prayer was recited.  When we hide God’s Word in our hearts, we are doing what He has asked us to do. When we do what He asks us to do, we are able to remember His promises in the storm.

His Word helps us remember He is above all, and we are to love Him from the seat of all understanding. Our souls should shine from His love, and we are to honor Him with everything we have.

We are to continually teach our children about the depth of His love – a sacrificial love where He gave His Son to reconcile us from the original sin of Adam and Eve to himself.  Teaching God’s Word to a child’s heart allows for him or her to begin to see safety is found in trusting God.  In this world, change is certain.  Christ is constant.

Storm-facing confidence comes from knowing who we are in God. Knowing Him helps us to trust that on the other side, we will be okay. Understanding comes from seeing His fingerprints on our lives, feeling His love, and trusting His promises through the darkest moments, time and time again.

God does not leave jobs unfinished.  He will complete what He started in your life.

S – Scripture (Hide it in your heart.)
T – Trust (God will never leave you in the darkness.  He has already provided The Light.)
O – Obey (Choose what brings Him glory, regardless of how hard it is to do it at the time.)
R – Remember (The storm only lasts a season.)
M – Move Through (He will hold your hand as you take baby steps one day at a time, or even one hour at a time.)

In the storm, when your confidence is shaken, may it be held together by the truth of God’s Word.  When you cannot see through the rain, may His Word shine brightly into your soul.

Basking in His Light

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