Ominous dark clouds dictated the need to move quickly. “The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for this area. A severe thunderstorm is approaching the stadium. For your safety, we ask that all spectators seek shelter immediately. Please leave the seating areas and proceed to the nearest designated enclosed shelter. Follow the directions of stadium staff and security personnel, and do not remain in the stands or in the open areas. Please remain in a designated shelter until further notice. Your safety is our highest priority.”
No one felt safe as the wind increased and the rain began. Shoved into a column of people, I wondered if those around me felt the need to panic. Thankfully, calmness prevailed. And thankfully, the weather system passed.
Life’s thunderstorms are every bit as real as those nature hurls our way, and my recent encounter with a stadium evacuation gave me pause for reflection. The sun does not and will not always shine, and circumstances can change in a nanosecond. A call from hospice, a lab report, a doctor’s diagnosis, a string of sleepless nights, an unforseen bill, a betrayal, a siren, a business failure, an unexpected move, an uncalled for comment, or the inability to complete an assignment threaten to bring dark clouds, swirling wind, sharp lightning, and pelting rain into our lives. Such events wreak havoc on our equilibrium and reveal how vulnerable we really are. Humanly speaking, we need an evacuation plan that works. Thank the Lord, one is spelled out for us in the Word of God.
“The Name of the Lord is a strong tower.
The righteous run to it and are safe.”
Proverbs 18:10
The Name of the Lord depicts the character of the Lord. He is loving, welcoming, compassionate. With arms open wide, He welcomes us as we run (rush) to Him. Our God stands available to protect, defend, and calm. His Name lifts us above our circumstances, providing mental, physical, and emotional safety where He willingly shelters us with security and encouragement.
With dispatch, with intentionality, we must choose where to go. Hesitation, dawdling, and second-guessing make us vulnerable to the world and to the enemy. The longer we wait, the more susceptible we are to danger. We must act, and we need to act quickly.
A supernatural evacuation plan offers a supernatural outcome. In thunderstorms, we long for strength, stability, and safety. Though our circumstances may or may not improve, life has taught me that by running quickly to our loving Lord, we find the Refuge desperately needed.
Prayer: “Father, in life’s inevitable thunderstorms, teach me to speedily exercise Your trustworthy evacuation plan and run to the strong tower of Your Name. While I wait for the all-clear, may I savor the strength, stability, and safety You faithfully provide.”
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phillippians 1:21
Why do you think we long for strength, stability, safety when caught in one of life’s thunderstorms?
When were you last caught in such a thunderstorm, and how effective was your “evacuation plan”? Where did you run?
