THE STORM IS THE ANSWER

I was pondering upon this nugget of truth which I just heard in John Gray's sermon 'The Crossover'. He said that the storm is the answer not the test. I was quite intrigued by this notion and I believe there is more to it. I believe God is trying to teach me something through it. He was telling me that the storm I went through was necessary in order to cross over to the other side. As much as I dreaded it, I had to face my giants and go through it in order to receive my miracle waiting on the other side.

The storm was not designed to destroy me. It was to remove all the chaff and impurities from my character, as well as strengthening my foundation in Christ. I would come out of the storm a much better and more resilient person. How true! I noticed during the cruise that I have somewhat changed. I am no longer as conscious about other family profile as I did before. It just didn't bother me anymore. We all have our own races to run.

It felt so much more liberating when I wasn't so conscious of myself and I was better able to enjoy more. Indeed when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. Oh how precious is that freedom! Now I am finally free to run my own race and focus on my own life, without looking at how others are doing. It felt like I was a horse with my blinders on, so that I could only look straight. Now I could focus better on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith and other things didn't matter as much. I was setting my face like flint on the finish line, for the joy set before me.

No wonder the eagles loved flying in a storm. It came to my attention a few times recently that whenever I saw an eagle flying, it was around a storm. There were dark clouds above but the eagle was circling that area. It didn't seem to bother the eagle that the storm was coming. In fact, I think they loved it. Perhaps there was something about the storm that attracted them. Maybe it was the draft, the wind power. They knew they could fly much higher in a storm than they could on a normal day. To other birds, they might be thinking that the eagles are crazy. But the eagle knew exactly what it was made of. They wouldn't be struck down in the stormy weather; on the contrary they will soar higher.

I often wondered why God has allowed these giants to surface in my life for the last few months. I totally hated it and I was confused for I thought I already faced them last July when I crossed over my Jordan river. Weren't I supposed to be possessing my promised land now? Why was I facing the same giants again? It kind of discouraged me, thinking that I might not have overcome those giants last year so they came again this year. I thought the recent storm was another test for me, but I had already been through so many tests. Which one is the final one?

Then I realised from John Gray's sermon that the storm was not the test but the answer. I was puzzled. How could the storm be the answer? I didn't pray for a storm to come. I prayed for my dream to be answered. I prayed for God to let me cross over to the other side for I had been in transition for a long time. And just when I thought every giant in my life had been dealt with in this July, the last I expected was that I had to face my fiercest giants in Nov. I totally wasn't prepared.

On hindsight I think God had somewhat preempted me in July when He showed me those verses on valley of shadow of death. I was so scared when I saw those verses, wondering if something bad was going to happen to me. But it wasn't that. God was allowing those fears to resurface again so that I could overcome them this time. Like Heng said, He was allowing the marauding armies of Egypt to come into the Red Sea so that He could totally destroy them. Then just as I crossed over to the other side, He would close up the Red Sea and all my enemies of the last season would die.

No wonder God was telling me that He made manifest the works of the enemy so that they could be destroyed in my life. John Gray said the opposition shows the enemy's position. Then I thought about the drama series 'The Last Ship' again. The Russian enemy was careful not to let the Americans discover their position. They had to keep themselves hidden from the radar. The reason was that they would be targeted and destroyed by a missile if the Americans found out their location. Secondly, it would be easier to sneak an attack on the Americans if they were in the dark.

It then occurred to me that this was a battle strategy used by God to force the enemy to show hands. If God hadn't allowed those giants to come, the storm to come, then I would probably be still in the dark about the enemy's ploys. I would always be attacked without knowing and suffer damage. But once the enemy showed his last card, there was absolutely no other way he can sneak up an attack on me for I would have recognised his ploys. When the light of Christ shone onto those dark areas of my life, the strongholds cannot stand.