A few weeks ago, I awoke to lightning, strong winds, and heavy rain pelting the windows.  The trees in our yard were moving in a circular motion.  A weather report confirmed a tornado watch and then a warning.  Surprisingly, the hour by hour forecast looked something like this.

 
           

The forecast, though eventually very promising, seemed very unlikely to me.  Throughout the dreary, dismal day in which large limbs were falling from trees and yards were filling with water, I wondered if the tumultuous day would actually end with a beautiful sunset.  Believing that the day could possibly end well added hopefulness to my day. To my delight, it did and the sun appeared just in time to set and produce beautiful colors on the horizon.

I couldn’t help but compare this particular day to God’s various forecasts in the Bible.  John 16:33 predicts that there will be storms in this life, but that we can be hopeful because He has overcome the world. 

When we find ourselves in the middle of an unsettling storm, it may seem hard to believe that the sun will ever appear again, but anything God promises will always be completely accurate. 

“. . .  it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us”

(Hebrews 6:18 NLT)

Since our hope is based on what God says, we must learn how to get an accurate forecast for our situation.

Are you in the middle of a storm right now?  Go to www.biblegateway.com and perform a keyword search for your particular challenge.  If a search brings up hundreds of verses, I often check out the referenced verses in the Psalms and Proverbs first. These books offer an abundance of comfort and wisdom.  Next, I typically check out the verses referenced in the New Testament, and then the Old Testament as well.

Some possible key word searches for various types of storms are:  trouble, distress, fear, poverty, blessing, deliverance, marriage, husbands, wives, children, offspring, seed, guide, helper, wisdom, bitter, forgive, work … As you do a keyword search on a subject, you will most likely find verses that contain not only promises for your situation, but insight and conditions for the fulfillment of that promise.  The conditions might be obedience, purity, faithfulness in a certain area, or simply hoping in God’s mercy.

Determine not to pick a verse out of context, but look at what the entire Bible says about your area of concern.

Seek God and not just His blessing and you will find what you need.  Give Him top priority in your life.

“Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?’  … your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV).

Ask God to lead you and send confirmation to your heart as you search for His forecast for your situation. 

Once you know God’s forecast, act as if the sun is going to come out before it comes out because you know it will come out!

When you find that promise, believe it, hold on to it, speak it, and thank God for it.  Different storms last for different periods of time, but as long as you know the sun will at some point no longer be obscured by the clouds, you have the hope to hold on.  Remember, also, that, even though you can’t always see it, the sun is always there.  You may not clearly see it as soon as you would like, but the peace can be enjoyed before you do, because you know that you will.

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1 NLT).

God wants us to live peaceful, hopeful lives, confident that what He says is true and knowing that even when we can’t “see” Him for the clouds, He is there.

Have a blessed week!

©2009 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved

 
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