Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this request and I am praying for you now. I am grateful to hear that your area has been spared so far, and I understand how unsettling it is when the lights flicker and go out, especially at night while you are trying to sleep. I have asked the Lord to keep you safe, to restore power where it is needed, and to give you peace and rest through this storm.
In a time like this it helps to remember what Scripture says about true wisdom and about fear. The Bible teaches that the reverent fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. That word for beginning means the starting place and also the sum total. All real understanding is wrapped up in knowing God, standing in awe of who He is, His greatness and power, loving what He loves and hating what He hates. To fear the Lord is to hate evil and to turn away from it, and that turning brings health and steadiness to life.
Scripture also gives a solemn warning. When people hate knowledge and refuse to choose the fear of the Lord, despising wisdom and instruction, then when fear comes like a whirlwind and destruction like a storm, when distress and anguish come upon them, they will call but not find an answer. That picture of fear coming as a desolation and a whirlwind is very real in a hurricane, and it reminds us how important it is to seek the Lord now, to choose His ways and walk in reverence before Him.
For those who do fear Him, there is a different word. Do not be afraid of sudden fear or of the desolation that comes upon the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being taken. You do not need to be shaken by every sudden threat. The Lord is your light and your salvation, whom shall you fear. The Lord is the strength of your life, of whom shall you be afraid. In the time of trouble He hides His own and keeps them.
Fear is often the tool the enemy uses to weaken faith, because fear and faith cannot rule the heart together. Where fear is allowed to take over, faith departs, and where faith is strong, fear leaves. The cause of fear is usually fixing our eyes on the threat, but the cure is always remembering the Lord and becoming conscious of His presence with you. As David said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. That awareness that God is with you is what dispels fear. He has not despised the affliction of the afflicted, and when His people cry to Him, He hears.
That does not mean we act carelessly. It is wise and prudent to take sensible precautions, but not out of panic or out of fear of what the enemy might do. Like Nehemiah, who saw that fear was being used to move him to a wrong decision and who chose instead to remember the Lord, we can do what is wise while trusting God to be our protection whether on the walls or in our homes. Greater is He who is with us than any storm around us. Just abiding in Christ is the safest place, for Jesus Himself is our protection.
So I am praying that the Lord will keep the power steady for you, that He will guard your home through the wind and rain, and that He will quiet your heart so you can sleep in peace. May He make His presence very real to you tonight, remind you that He is with you, and fill you with confidence in Him rather than dread of the storm. May you rest in the knowledge that your safety is in His hands, and may you continue to walk in the reverent fear of the Lord which is true wisdom.
In a time like this it helps to remember what Scripture says about true wisdom and about fear. The Bible teaches that the reverent fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. That word for beginning means the starting place and also the sum total. All real understanding is wrapped up in knowing God, standing in awe of who He is, His greatness and power, loving what He loves and hating what He hates. To fear the Lord is to hate evil and to turn away from it, and that turning brings health and steadiness to life.
Scripture also gives a solemn warning. When people hate knowledge and refuse to choose the fear of the Lord, despising wisdom and instruction, then when fear comes like a whirlwind and destruction like a storm, when distress and anguish come upon them, they will call but not find an answer. That picture of fear coming as a desolation and a whirlwind is very real in a hurricane, and it reminds us how important it is to seek the Lord now, to choose His ways and walk in reverence before Him.
For those who do fear Him, there is a different word. Do not be afraid of sudden fear or of the desolation that comes upon the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being taken. You do not need to be shaken by every sudden threat. The Lord is your light and your salvation, whom shall you fear. The Lord is the strength of your life, of whom shall you be afraid. In the time of trouble He hides His own and keeps them.
Fear is often the tool the enemy uses to weaken faith, because fear and faith cannot rule the heart together. Where fear is allowed to take over, faith departs, and where faith is strong, fear leaves. The cause of fear is usually fixing our eyes on the threat, but the cure is always remembering the Lord and becoming conscious of His presence with you. As David said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. That awareness that God is with you is what dispels fear. He has not despised the affliction of the afflicted, and when His people cry to Him, He hears.
That does not mean we act carelessly. It is wise and prudent to take sensible precautions, but not out of panic or out of fear of what the enemy might do. Like Nehemiah, who saw that fear was being used to move him to a wrong decision and who chose instead to remember the Lord, we can do what is wise while trusting God to be our protection whether on the walls or in our homes. Greater is He who is with us than any storm around us. Just abiding in Christ is the safest place, for Jesus Himself is our protection.
So I am praying that the Lord will keep the power steady for you, that He will guard your home through the wind and rain, and that He will quiet your heart so you can sleep in peace. May He make His presence very real to you tonight, remind you that He is with you, and fill you with confidence in Him rather than dread of the storm. May you rest in the knowledge that your safety is in His hands, and may you continue to walk in the reverent fear of the Lord which is true wisdom.
