Proverbs 1:27 “when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind when distress and anguish come upon you.”
There are seasons in life just like this for many of us, when our family, our business or our health enter into a period of pressure and uncertainty. I remember travelling out to Central America just after Hurricane Mitch went through that whole region. A friend called Michelitto met us at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere one day. He had lost 16 members of his family in a mudslide in under a minute.
There were no words, we could only take his hand and cry with him as we poured our hearts out in prayer. There were so many stories in that short time. I saw house-sized parts of bridges that had been washed 1000m downriver, lying stuck in the mud like an abandoned toy. I could not imagine the force of the storm that had passed through the whole country. Whole areas of cities were devastated, with shanty towns on mountainsides washed away.
Yet there was still hope, and peace, in those who had a living relationship with Jesus. Please don’t misunderstand, the pain was raw and real, the time to recover was still massive. But in the middle of that, there was still a sense of peace.
I never want to diminish or belittle what people go through, but I do think sometimes that the real visible hallmark of Christianity is only seen when things are not going our way when all of life is full of problems and disaster, how do we respond. When I met an amazing lady, who has been fighting cancer for 9 years, whose life has been decimated, and yet she has such joy and peace, and such a positive outlook, I feel like I am meeting Jesus. What about you and I, in the storm, do we turn towards God and each other, or do we turn away?
KNOWLEDGE
The writer is painting a picture with words – we see the words, terror, storm, calamity, whirlwind, distress and anguish – all mentioned in one short scripture. The scriptures are not wasteful with words, so when so much emphasis is packed into so little space there is a deep calling to deep happening. For those who will not listen to or take heed of Godly counsel, there is a certain outcome. There is no mention of the word “if”, only “when”.
As a reader, we are to be left in no doubt about either the severity or the intensity of the outcome for those people who choose willingly or naively to ignore God. There is no predicting the timing, there is no controlling the gravity, and there is no measuring the devastation of the consequences for those this scripture is aimed at. We are perhaps prompted to think about others – how could they be so dull, how could they resist for so long with such a conclusion in front of them. But can I ask, will we allow this scripture to stir compassion for these lost souls and the end they are facing?
UNDERSTANDING: Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live? The word for the storm in Hebrew is pronounced as “so’ ” it comes from a root word that appears 15 times in the Old Testament, but this is the only use of this derivative. It has a meaning of “to ravage” or even possible “to assault”. The terror that is a companion to wilful disobedience to God is a terrible thing really!
WISDOM: what do you feel when you read this scripture and what will your response be today?
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Strengths Thought – Maximiser is a beautiful Influencing Strength – be careful when you’re always pushing for more that you don’t leave a trail of damaged people in your wake. Constant perfectionism impacts those closest to you in destructive ways. Be aware that you can be very lean with compliments and this can impact those in your circle of influence negatively.
It’s good to push for the best outcomes and to inspire others to do the same. You can see in others things they may not have been aware of in themselves, and you can call this out. You have a passion for taking good and making it great.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version: [dread ravishes you, disaster howls around you, calamity and pain are your closest travelling companions.]
Prayer: Father, Thank you for today. Help me today to stay open to the call you have on my life regardless of the circumstances.
Through trials and tribulations, may I have the God-given wisdom to move forward with confidence, knowing that He is always there with me. And I pray that I can help others navigate through trials with sensitivity and compassion.
It’s too easy to look at the calamities that hit others and take them lightly. We should never do this as the things each of us face are real and painful in so many ways. Thankfully we have the HS as our friend, Counsellor and Comforter who brings supernatural peace to us in the midst of turmoil. Thank you Jesus for your peace!
In the midst of devastation ,when calamity strikes you at the most unexpected time in your life or when facing a trial,
Chose to stand firm on the rock that is higher than your circumstance.
To see beyond what my human eye or thoughts can take me .
On the other hand if I think of those lost souls ,
I remember that at a point in my life ,I was there too.
But His unfailing love and grace saved me from disaster,and transformed me ,my life with all its flaws was exchanged for a brand new life of hope .
I pray these souls will truly seek him with all their heart, and find Him .and experience total freedom.
I pray that God help me to have compassion to see the rebirth of a soul,restored to full potential in experiencing the love of Christ
Knowing that God is in control of our lives is one thing, having the peace that passes all understanding is another. So when our world falls apart it’s hanging on to this knowledge and praying that God will give us that peace, and he does.! The pain and hurt take time to lessen but I have proved this time and time again throughout my life. And it’s this unique peace that people around us will notice in the midst of our storm…
Today’s devotional was beautiful, challenging and encouraging all at the same time.
I’m very challenged by the question: how do I respond when things are not going my way. This is an area I believe I need to grow in hearing Holy Spirits voice. Thank you Pastor Alan
A vivid picture – I think when tragedy does strike people ie terror & calamity one does feel distress & anguish because there is a sense of helplessness feeling out of control in shock & confused. God’s Word exhorts us to weep with those who weep ……. & this is where we can come alongside someone suffering to support & show them compassion. When we are that someone it takes time to think clearly & we need to reach out for help even when quite often all we might want to do is roll up in a ball & isolate ourselves. This is where the Holy Spirit can bring us comfort by reading God’s Word – during these times I live in the Psalms to soothe my soul & find solice. We have to realise it takes time to recover & heal & stay in faith to believe that God does work ALL things for good for those who love Him & are called according to His purpose. This is where the divide is often very noticeable between a person living for God & one who ignores Him. There is a supernatural strength peace & comfort which a Christian can receive that is unexplainable to a non Christian. It doesn’t necessarily lessen the pain & sadness but it equips a Christian to walk out the grief & associated pain in a more positive way & have a better outcome.
Hi Allan,
This to me is just continues on from the last verse and go well together.
So my revelation to last verse and this verse after praying on it and what I have written to the last verse has made more sense to me.
Its God speaking about wisdom, if wisdom is used wrong for the wrong reasons it can basically blow up in your face and “wisdom” will laugh at you.
I looked at Romans again and now understand Paul is talking about “Revelation”, which is making a lot more sense.
Reading James 1:5 Its basically saying if anyone ask for wisdom God will give it generously even if they aren’t save or believe in Jesus.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
So today I pray that The Holy Spirit gives me more patiences one of its fruits and pray on the word for revelation and not let works and my flesh rise. As you Holy Spirit are the greatest teacher. Forgive me Holy Spirit for not waiting on your revelation yesterday. Amen.
I always pray that God would use me to be a light unto others in this dark world. That the light of Jesus would shine through me and touch peoples spirits, so they would come to know the love our Father God has for them.
When everything goes wrong I usually blame myself and I do t feel worthy but Jesus has come and gave us life so when distress anguish pain lost material or emotional and I fall Jesus is there to lift me up
“For those who will not listen to or take heed of Godly counsel there is a certain outcome” I can vouch for this as writer painted a picture with words in this scripture. God always give you warnings, an opportunity turn away and come back to the path he had prepared for you!
Thank you for explanation of writers intentions in this scripture!
I love the truth and the confidence we have in God that we can always hope and be joyful because of Immanuel, God with us. Jesus exemplifies what we need to do in the midst of storms and challenges, looking upon His Father and see what He does, so he can follow. We can look into the scripture and follow Jesus.
What do we do when disaster strikes? It’s an important question because none of us are immune to bad news.
I remember going through one of the darkest seasons of my life—a time that lasted not just days or months, but years. During that time, my mentor, Mary Devadas, encouraged me to get on my knees in prayer and draw strength from the Lord. Even though it felt like God was distant, He was always there.
The closer I drew to Him, the more joy I experienced, even in the midst of hardship. People would ask me how I managed to keep smiling through it all, and my answer was always the same: “It’s because of Jesus!” Turning to Him is the key.
Thank you pastor Allan for sharing such powerful message yet again. Bless you