Author Topic: Deliverance in the Midst of the Storm - "Fear not; I will help thee."  (Read 3198 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Mimi

  • Regular Member
  • Posts: 27796
  • www.remnant-online.org
    • The Remnant Online
Isaiah 41:13  For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

And He did. First, one bright evening star and then two more, and then, the moon. The storm clouds rolled away to expose the glory of the night heavens and to reveal an answer to fervent prayer. “Fear not; I will help thee.” And He did.

The desire of a young man to spend time with his father came sooner than planned and necessitated an unexpected road trip, one we have made for the last fifteen years meeting half way between our homes. Once down to the lowlands, we would take the Interstate route so familiar to us. It stretches from sea to shining sea and encompasses a good portion of tornado alley. As a good former Pathfinder, a check of the weather was done and our lunch was packed. We hit the road at noon to meet up with “father” by early evening.  It was uneventful, routine as usual. We met and I delivered my precious cargo to father’s waiting arms. It is always a joyous reunion to observe – a fifteen year-old now taller and more robust than all of us. With the handoff, the first leg of the annual trek had been completed and “home” was the next destination.

It was Sabbath and I had three CDs in the glove box. As much as they had been played and replayed, I was not ready to hear them again, not just yet, so I turned on Weatherband1 for company. “A strong line of thunderstorms are in the area with potential for damaging winds, softball-size hail and possible tornadoes” were on tap for the Interstate I had to retrace. They had been building in the west as we traveled east. We didn't notice them.

The sun was quickly covered with dark grey clouds. I was into the second hour of travel homeward. The rains began and then the winds. The next town was fifteen miles away: “Lord, guide me safely to cover until the storm passes over.” And He did. The huge truck stop was packed with cars, trucks, motor homes and I had to quickly park and get inside. The winds were already shaking the car, whipping it from side to side. The lightning and rains were as heavy as I had seen in my long lifetime. Grabbing my purse, I stepped out into the torrent of rain, wind and lightning and ran to the door. Standing under the full force of a bathroom shower for five minutes could not have deemed me any more soaked than I was during that sprint to cover. But I was only the latest person to experience this, for inside stood 50 to 75 people in the same condition. We waited for word on the weather when an employee of the truckstop announced a tornado ten miles north of our location, “headed our way.” “Take cover in the coolers or the shower bathrooms.” Some of us did, some did not. Standing in a cooler with wet clothes on was not too appealing so the inner rooms of the showers slowly filled. The majority of the people did the very thing we are warned not to do, they stood looking out of large glass windows and doors. My thoughts turned to the Bible and the warnings given therein. Who will heed the warnings?

We had a mass of humanity huddled there. Mothers with small children, grandmothers, and men of all varieties. Young mothers whose breasts were so exposed that one move could have caused them to full exposure at any moment. I took the embarrassment for them and looked away while a particular woman caught my immediate attention, a Mormon. She was wearing their standard dress. It was yellow, high necked, long-sleeved and to the ankle, beautiful in its simplicity. Her hair was just as distinctive. She was “peculiar” among us and the picture of calm. I thought to myself, “I am the Seventh-day Adventist. Peculiar is my declared label in thought and expression, yet this woman’s very presence and demeanor, from outward appearances, had me trumped by a thousand yards." I noted it and squirmed at the idea. “Lord, help me be a better visual witness.”  Gazing stalk crossed my mind, but the Lord knew exactly what I meant. And of course, my appearance was not like everyone else’s, but it still fell short of the ideal and far short of the Morman’s. Just an observation and internal reprimand most women make but never speak of.

Time passed. The better part of an hour did not produce the feared destruction we awaited. Slowly, people began to disperse to check the skies. One by one they left. The radar showed heavy rains behind the storm but with it was an interlude I needed to take advantage of, so I crept out and off to the next town that would bring me closer to home. It was just then when hail and high winds reappeared and I stopped under an overpass with many other cars. We waited for close to another hour when I saw something in the two-o’clock position. A star. We were in a location where towers and antennas dot mountain tops and it caused me to think that was the source of the light, yet it never blinked. It was constant and did not move. Then to the left was an emerging light. It was the moon. And then two other stars joined the first one on the right. “Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” What a representation they made in my mind, the thoughts of an old woman waiting for deliverance.    “Fear not; I will help thee,” Isaiah wrote thousands of years ago, yet it was Psalm 103 that I began to recite. That beloved Psalm that has brought comfort to millions in any situation saturated my thoughts. Then  Matthew 11:28,  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. His stars and His moon brought it home and produced an experience. In my solitude, His promises removed all fear of any kind.
 
Two hundred miles of road yet lay before me and the way was cleared. It was if the stars and moon stood still and remained in constant position as they were under the overpass when I first saw them. I turned and wove my way toward home, changing position many times, yet there they were – still there.  And another thing did not escape my notice – home was north. The Bible makes many references to God “in the north.” I was going in the right direction.
 
Weatherband1 was still reporting dangerous weather directly ahead in my path but the skies to the north were clear. The three stars and the moon were brightly shining while I cruised along those long stretches of mountain roads with songs of gratitude in my heart. At one point it mentioned the very name of the little valley in which I live as receiving the brunt of the series of storm cells, tornadoes and all. How could that be when the skies are clear? Will home still be there? Will I have a roof, a bed, a cup or saucer? Again, thoughts of an old woman who had been delivered but was not quite home. Incremental deliverance is faith building. Evidence of His guidance shores us up to keep on going because His promises are true. It is day by day, moment by moment. He gives us what we need when we need it. He was there while we stood as huddled masses packed into shower stalls. He was there when I hit the road to go a little further in the face of dark clouds, winds, rain and hail. He was there waiting to show Himself while we waited at the overpass as high winds shook the cars with a vengeance. So, whatever befalls my vision upon turning into my driveway will bring with it strength from heaven to face it.

“Fear not; I will help thee.”

Yes, Lord.

The last ten miles are always the longest. Why? Our longing for home has with it the cumulative experiences of the long trip. We are battle worn and exceedingly weary even in the midst of incremental deliverance that brings us joy untold. Home cannot come soon enough, yet each of those miles and minutes are necessary for the required experience to be able to stand before men and angels, to say nothing of standing before the most holy God. We joy in our tribulations. It is a hard saying except as we understand where the tribulation leads us in our experience. Do we fully understand or are we yet that dense? May the Lord have mercy as we appeal to heaven to give us a deeper experience, as painful as it is.

Home was in tact. Thank you, Lord. Bean poles were strewn and among other things, neighbors’ skylights were blown out. The answering machine was full of concerned messages that I promptly returned even at that late hour.

It was at midnight that full deliverance was given. We are familiar with that prophetic time. Its representation did not go unnoticed. It was mine for that day - yesterday. Today will bring blessings afresh because of a deeper experience that was needed.

 
  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

JimB

  • Servant
  • Assistant Administrator
  • Posts: 7446
  • Pro 12:28 in the pathway thereof there is no death
Thanks for the testimony Mimi! God is good and He delivers when we recognize our need and call upon Him!
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Amen!! This is Christianity. A  moment by moment experience that God designs will both bring us closer to Him and make us a more perfect witness 0f Him. Thanks for sharing, Mimi.  The end is near and His people are being readied for that great day!
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.