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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME (don’t write about the song) (06/04/15)
Better Than an Umbrella

Just as we stepped out of the supermarket with a cart loaded with groceries the sky opened up and down it came like the monsoons in Sri Lanka.

“Get in the car. I’ll take care of this stuff.” I said as we raced for the car.

With the groceries in the trunk, I got into the car dripping wet and we started home. I parked the car, carried the groceries in the house and we changed our wet clothes.

The sun was shining with hardly a cloud in the sky when we got to the store. Who would have thought we would need an umbrella? But life is like that: sometimes a sprinkle, sometimes a real down pour. Sometimes we see them coming and sometimes they take us by surprise.

Many times storms in life break upon us when we least expect them. They may be small, like a cold, or major like some form of cancer or tragic accident. We know that storms are coming, whether weather storms or storms of life. They are coming. So how do we prepare for them?

We even help our young children when the weather report calls for rain. Before they leave for school we make sure that they are properly dressed, rain boots, rain coat and umbrella.

When we live in some parts of the country it is not only us but we must make sure our vehicles are ready for winter. Sometimes we just must get out of the way of the storm.

Most spiritual storms appear suddenly. Even if we had been paying attention we may not have seen them coming sooner. So how do you prepare for spiritual storms?

Just as natural storms require physical preparation, spiritual storm require spiritual preparation. Spiritual preparation starts with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Then we need continued fellowship with Him. We also need knowledge of what He wants us to do. This is gained by reading His word. We need to meditate on what He is telling us to do. We also need to obey Him.

Extra batteries or a generator give us the power we need during a storm. We need power for spiritual storms too. This is where scripture memorization comes in. We have that extra power when we need it, if we have prepared by memorizing scripture.

Jesus is well aware of all the attacks and spiritual storms headed our way. While He has not promised to keep them from us, He has promised to see us through them.

The Psalmist reminds us that we have angels encamped around us. But even better than that, we have Jesus living in us.

When Jesus was asleep in the boat on stormy Galilee nothing was going to happen to the boat with the Son of God on board. Jesus lives in me so what can happen to me that’s contrary to his will for me?

So in the storms of life, if Jesus can call ten thousand angels, and He certainly can; isn’t that better than an umbrella?
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Loni Bowden-Horn 
06/15/15
Thank you for reminding me that storms can come into our lives when we least expect them. It is a good idea to prepare ourselves with the word of God.
Yvonne Blake 
06/16/15
I like your title. This is a good devotional. It might have been better to quote Scripture to support your thoughts.
Keep writing.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
06/17/15
I enjoyed your analogy. Storms of all kinds can certainly come out of nowhere. Living in Western New York, I can totally relate to being prepared for winter. We all have storms that are unique to us. I like how you made that point. Although there are many storms, the best shield from the storm is a relationship with Jesus.

I struggled a bit with the voice. I liked how you started with a true life story. I could instantly relate. Then you switched from first person singular to plural and back to me in the end. I agree we feels less preachy than you, but I still struggled with it. I think part is because I didn't really know who "we" was. (Of course I understand you are speaking about Christians, but not all readers may be Christians. I'm not sure why it makes me feel like I'm eavesdropping on the outskirts of a circle, able to hear, but not quite feeling included.) Obviously, this could just be a personal hang up of mine and I may be the only one who feels that way. Looking back at it again, I think it's because you start with we (I assume it's you and your family), switch to I, then back to we. I think I'd feel more included if you used the first person the entire time. Ex: My kids and I were shopping... After I developed a personal relationship with Jesus, I needed continued support.
If you had used that voice, I think it would have felt like I was having an intimate talk with you.

I know it's a little thing. Overall, you did a wonderful job. I really like the way you show how being prepared makes such a difference. I think the idea of Jesus as an umbrella is brilliant and so spot on. You really touched my heart. I think with a tiny bit of tweaking this would make a great devotion for a magazine or for FW daily devotions. I can definitely feel your desire to share Jesus with others. You did a great job of doing just that.