Thoughts After Hurricane Harvey CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

After going through a hurricane, you learn some things.  Here are some things we learned.

Be thankful – 1 Thes 5:18 – thank the Lord for his protection, for your friends, and for his peace through the storm.

Keep your mind on the Lord – Is 26:3 – “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”  It is easy for the mind to run away with imaginations [2 Cor 10:4-5].  You need to keep you mind on the Lord and trust him.

Don’t be judgmental – Lk 13:1-5 – we didn’t escape with less damage than others because we are better than they are or because they are worse than we are.

Get back to your routine – Is 34:16 – you want to get back to praying and reading your Bible faithfully as quick as you can.  There’s much stress after the storm that dominates your day.  Settle down and read and pray.  Phil 4:6-7 – pray and God will sustain you with his peace.

Rejoice and weep – Rom 12:15 – rejoice with those who fared well in the storm and weep with those who lost much in the storm.  Be empathetic.

Value your heavenly possessions – Col 3:1-3 – it is possible to be a very faithful Christian and lose everything down here.  Job lost everything and he was a good man.  Invest more heavily in eternal things than in temporal.  There are no storms in heaven.

Assess you preparations – Prov 21:31 – if you thought of anything you would do differently following this storm, then make the preparations now, while the thoughts are fresh on your mind.  Don’t wait until the next storm is upon you.

Minister consolation – 2 Cor 1:3-4 – there are those who suffered a great deal through this storm.  Console them with prayers, help and provisions.

Be still – Ps 46:10 – it is easy to get so excited in the storm that you can’t think rationally.  Settle down and be still.

Witness – Acts 1:8 – if you have been thinking of telling someone about the Lord, now would be a good time to tell them.