When You are Facing a Storm

I wrote this posting more than two weeks ago, totally oblivious of the ranging storm brewing over my life How a dream would be crushed and my heart broken.  Looking back, reading my already written posting, I know even more now: It is True!

The Weather forecast for Saturday was one of the lowest temperatures I’ve ever experienced in the 17 years I’m living in Cape Town.  

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On top of it, storms were expected over the weekend too.  

Since it was Heidi’s birthday earlier the week, with chocolates involved 

(we did another Lindt Chocolate evening class) the smaller children experienced a bit of runny noses. By Friday noon you could feel the drop in temperatures and though we planned an outing of tennis and horse riding in the afternoon, we changed the plans and rather stayed indoors.  By Friday night it was freezing cold. We lit the fire at noon, but we had to constantly stoke it, to heat up the house. 

While we were cleaning the Kitchen after supper, we decided to keep the fire going during the night.  If we could put on fresh logs every hour, it may be possible to prevent the temperature in the house to drop.  It is so difficult to rise in the morning when it is so freezing cold.  At first the older children enthusiastically offered to take an hour slot each during the night to watch the fire, but I realized it would not work and released them.   As I already woke up quite a few times during the night to take care of little ones, I would check the fire. 

CJ and Josua provide a stockpile of logs for the night, and Christo put on quite a few logs before we went to bed. Michael called around midnight, slept in the extra single bed for little ones in our room for about an hour, but then I put him in bed with us. Sometime around 1am, little Daniel ran into our room, frightened by the extreme wind blowing outside, and jumped into the extra single bed. Every time I woke for a little one I put logs on the fire, and the fire did not go out. By 3am the pile of logs was gone and I had to go out and fetch some more wood.

It was freezing cold outside and a violent storm was raging. With nostalgia I thought back of how my ancestors did this every night during the winter months and proudly pushed through motivated by the thought of my family waking up in a warm house in the morning! 

With the new logs I stoked the fire for about half an hour, until it was crackling blissfully.  I then fell asleep next to little Michael, while watching the glow of the fire down the hallway  and listening to the peaceful breathing of my dear husband, on Michael’s other side. At 6am I woke up from my Hello Morning alarm. I couldn’t see the glow of the fireplace anymore and disappointedly jumped out of bed to check on what I expected to be a burnt out furnace. To my delight there were still a few tiny flames and within seconds I had it going again.  Only then did I realize the house was definitely warmer than other mornings and the extreme cold in the air was absent.  

While having my quiet time I become aware of our peaceful, warm house, while a storm was raging outside under extreme cold temperatures.  It was symbolic of what was happening quite often in our lives.   There are constantly storms raging in the spiritual realm. The enemy of our soul, is constantly wanting us to doubt God’s goodness, distrusting His intent, filling our minds with hissing lies.

“…my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Eph. 6:10-12

Rick Joyner says in his book “Overcoming the power of evil“

In this spiritual storm I’m confident that God is very compassionate and merciful. Keeping me safe and warm, while I’m walking in His will for my life! “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Ps 121:4

I could barely manage to wake up frequently enough to keep the fire going, almost let the fire go out in the early morning hours. It took sacrificing to provide a warm home for my family in the morning. With my God I never have to fear that He will not be able to keep me warm and safe.  He already sacrificed His Son for me and He is watching over me with an everlasting love.

With love

Linnie