Coming storm

(photo was altered & enhanced for the illustration)

Preparation For Coming Storms
    This is one of several approaches toward spiritual preparation for storms to come. The storms which come may financial in nature where one may lose their job or or business. They may be be social issues, such as family conflicts or work related conflicts. They may take on the form of the death of relatives or other loved ones. They may come in the form of religious beliefs or doctrinal differences and conflicts. They may also come through natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes, or volcano eruptions. There may physical struggles through personal physical injuries or various diseases. Many will also battle with the aging process where there is are loses of eyesight, hearing, mobility, or the control of bodily functions before they die.

    Focus is a key factor! When we focus on the potential storms, the storms becomes magnified in our minds. This then becomes a distorted perspective. Then our enemy will often get us to begin to look at ourselves to evaluated whether or not we can weather the storms of life that come to us. If we, in pride say, I can handle whatever is thrown at me, we are tempted to leave God out of the picture and just focus on ourselves rather than God. If we do this, sooner or later we will face a storm too great for us to handle.  If, in contrast, we evaluate ourselves being failures, we may withdraw from life and fall into some addiction or addictions to cover our pain. If we are self-determined, we may battle all our lives on rising above our failures. We need to learn to have the right focus to be prepared for the storms that come our way.  Therefore our focus (our faith) should be on God and keep the storms in the periphery of our vision. The following material from Scriptural study is designed to help us do this.

    The primary Hebrew name for God is (יהוה) or YHWH in Scripture, which is Yahweh with vowels being added. However, because of the commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7), many Jewish people were and are afraid to speak God's name. Therefore, the name (אֲדֹנָי) Adonai is used which means LORD. In the KJV English bible, the name is often translated "LORD" (6,412 times).  However, in the KJV Bible, it is also translated 4 times as Jehovah (Exodus 6:3, Psalms 83:18, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 26:4). "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH (Yahweh) was I not known to them"  (Exodus 6:3 KJV). For this article, I will be using the KJV Bible translation.

    A modern expression of God's name is Jehovah. His name, as Jehovah and His character, has been popularized: (1. Jehovah-Jirah, 2. Jehovah-Nissi, 3. Jehovah-Raah, 4. Jehovah-Rapha, 5. Jehovah-Shalom, 6. Jehovah-Shammah, 7. Jehovah-Tsidkenu).

    The way we learn to prepare ourselves for the coming storms is to focus regularly and daily on God and who He is. That is, we learn through practicing in advance of any coming storms. We actually learn best by not only knowing the truths, but by applying those truths to daily situations until the truths becomes ingrained habits. Then when the storms actually arrive, we should automatically focus on the LORD in faith.

1. The LORD Will Provide: "Jehovah-Jirah" Actually, it is in seeing, God hath provided. "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjirah: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:14). On this occasion, God provided a ram which had it's horns caught in a thicket. God provided the ram for a sacrifice for Abraham instead of Isaac Abraham's son. In the book of Jonah, we find a parallel story. "Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17). Please note that "the LORD had prepared" a great fish. It was accomplished by God in seeing before the event that there would be a need for a great fish. In God seeing that we would sin, he provided salvation for us before the foundation of the world. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" (I Peter 1:19-20).  Paul wrote, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus"  (Philippians 4:19). In the book of Matthew, Jesus used the expression, "Take no thought" to tell us that we are not to worry, because God will provided for us what we need. He said, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?   Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"  (Matthew 6:25-26). In stead of focusing on our cares, we are to cast all our cares upon God and focus on Him.  Peter wrote, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you"  (I Peter 5:7). When we cast all our cares upon Him, He then becomes responsible to care for us.

2. The LORD Our Banner: "Jehovah-Nissi"  God's banner of LOVE over us brings victory in our battles. "An Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:" (Exodus 17:15). After Moses led the people through the Red Sea, Amalek came up to attack them from behind. Moses commissioned Joshua to go fight with Amalek. Joshua won the battle! This is where Moses called the place Jehovahnissi (the LORD our banner). This is the flag (banner) that we are to carry into our battles.  David knew of God's love when he went into the battle against the giant, Goliath. God had also provided the five smooth stones for David in a brook before he needed to battle Goliath. David actually, saw that battle, not as his battle but the LORD's battle. "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.  This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands"  (I Samuel 17:45-47). We should remember that God is for us and not against us. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"  (Romans 8:31).

3. The LORD Our Shepherd:  "Jehovah-Raah" God, the good shepherd, watches over and cares for His sheep. "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalms 23:1). The shepherd provides whatever the sheep needs. He leads the sheep. He knows the sheep and calls the sheep to himself. He cares for the sheep and protects his sheep. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever"  (Psalms 23:2-6).  Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep"  (John 10:11). "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine"  (John 10:14).  Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Jesus speaks in such a way that we, as believers, can hear His voice, the voice of the Shepherd and He enables us to follow Him.

4. The LORD Who Heals: "Jehovah-Rapha" No matter the depth of our wounds or the severity of our disease, God is there to heal. "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26). Under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites came to a place where they had been without water for three days and then they came to Marah. It was called Marah because the water was bitter. The people complained to Moses about the situation.  Moses cried unto the LORD and LORD showed unto Moses a tree which he was to throw into the bitter water. When he cast the tree into the water, the water was healed. The LORD, the HEALER, heals all kinds of diseases which we see in the life of Jesus. "And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them" (Matthew 4:24). He healed the people from all kinds of physical ailments. He healed those who were under demonic forces. He healed those who had mental disorders. He healed also those the blind and the lame.  He healed the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years. He also healed Lazarus who got very sick and died by calling him back to life. In another sense, God is also our health. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God"  (Psalms 43:5). The LORD is our health.  I must add, sometimes there is an immediate healing, sometimes it may take some time, or it may be after we enter into Heaven.

5. The LORD Our Peace:  "Jehovah-Shalom"  God provides His peace in the middle of our storms. "Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites" (Judges 6:24). This story begins earlier when the children of Israel did evil in sight of the LORD and God delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven long years. The children of Israel had to hide themselves in caves and dens for safety. Also, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them. The children of Israel were surrounded and far outnumbered with no sign of hope. Then the children of Israel then cried unto the LORD. The LORD then sent a prophet sent a prophet to tell them why they were in this situation. Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon while he was threshing some grain and hiding from the Midianites in wine press. "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour"  (Judges 6:12). Gideon questioned if God was still with them because of all the bad had been happening to them. The Angel assured Gideon that He would be with him. "And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.  Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Opah of the Abiezrites"  (Judges 6:22-24). When Gideon realized that he was meeting with the LORD who gives us peace, then he declared "The LORD Our Peace." Today, we understand that the Angel of the LORD was a manifestation of Jesus. However, again for us, our focus must be upon the LORD. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength"  (Isaiah 26:3-4). This doesn't mean that the storm does not immediately disappear, but that God gives us peace in the middle of the storm. When Paul was on his way to Rome in a ship that was being tossed about in the Sea in a violent storm, he focused his attention on God. "And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me"  (Acts 27:22-25). Paul found peace in the midst of the storm.

6. The LORD Is There:  "Jehovah-Shammah" We may feel that we are all alone, but God is always there. “It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there" (Ezekiel 48:35). The context of the passage was of the dividing of the land for the twelves tribes. However, it is also another picture of God being WITH believers. David said, "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me"  (Psalms 139:8-10). Again look at what the angel said to Gideon. "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour"  (Judges 6:12). Again, David said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me"  (Psalms 23:4).  God told Abraham, "And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of"  (Genesis 28:15). God told Joshua, "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Joshua 1:5). In the New Testament Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you"  (John 14:16-17). The writer of the book of Hebrews spoke of God saying that God would never leave us or forsake the believers: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"  (Hebrews 13:5). The LORD is always there with Believers. Going a step further, God may hide us in the darkness of the crevice of the rock when God passes by. "And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by"  (Exodus 33:22). When we are in the darkest place in our lives and don't see God, maybe, in one sense, is the very place where God is the closest to us. This place is where God has put us to protects us and his hand is also protecting us. We only see what God has done (His back side) after God has passed by.

7. The Lord Our Righteousness: "Jehovah-Tsidkenu" Though we don’t always live righteously, God provides His righteousness for us. "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jeremiah 23:6). To begin, we must realize that we are not righteous in and of our selves. Isaiah said, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6). Paul wrote, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God"  (Romans 3:10-11). Jesus said, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven"  (Matthew 5:20). However,
Isaiah prophesied, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool"  (Isaiah 1:18). How can this be? Jesus died on the cross taking all our sin upon him that we might receive his righteous. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him"  (II Corinthians 5:21). Furthermore, "And he is the propitiation (substitution) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). When someone accepts Jesus as our Lord and savior, there is a divine exchange that takes place, his righteousness for their sin. It is like when God announced that Abraham was righteous by his faith.  "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God" (James 2:23). A person can get no more righteous than he becomes in Christ the moment that he makes a faith commitment to Jesus as his Lord.  Paul illustrates this truth by saying, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith"  (Philippians 3:8-9).

For Further Study
 Here Are A Few References

"To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him"  (Psalms 92:15).

"And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked"  (Exodus 9:27).

"The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him"  (Exodus 15:2).

"The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name"  (Exodus 15:3).

"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them"  (Exodus 18:11).

"The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation"  (Numbers 14:18).

"Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him"  (Deuteronomy 10:9).

"And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God"  (Joshua 22:34).

"And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;  The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.  I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies"  (II Samuel 22:2-4).

"That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else"  (I Kings 8:60).

"The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land"  (Psalms 10:16).

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower"  (Psalms 18:2).

"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit"  (Psalms 34:18)

"For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king"  (Psalms 89:18).

"But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge"  (Psalms 94:22)

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy"  (Psalms 103:8)

"He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion"  (Psalms 111:4).

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe"  (Proverbs 18:10)

"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us"  (Isaiah 33:22)

"The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him"  (Lamentations 3:24)

"And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?"  (Joel 2:11).

"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet"  (Nahum 1:3)

"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God"  (Zechariah 13:9)

"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified"  (I Thessalonians 4:6).

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil"  (II Thessalonians 3:3).

"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me"  (Hebrews 13:6).

"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy"  (James 5:11).

"If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious"  (I Peter 2:3).

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance"  (II Peter 3:9)

"And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you"  (II Peter 3:15)

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