REFLECTIONS FROM THE STORM

Monday, January 28th, a major ICE STORM hit northern Arkansas, leaving our county and others entirely without electricity. The icy mixture left the land looking like, first, the movie set of the ice palace in Narnia, then, with the melting, a war zone of broken trees and electric poles. With no power, my blogging was limited to writing down a few reflections for a future blog. Yesterday, February 3rd, power was restored. What follows is an expansion of my notes and thoughts during the “cold” spell.

1. ASLAN IS COMING BACK! (Jan. 29th)
The wicked Snow Queen is losing her grip on the world! Such was the news being rumored around the Land of Narnia, and was reported by Mr. Beaver to the children who were the main characters in C. S. Lewis’ epic fantasy, The Chronicles of Narnia. The snow and ice that had blanketed the land was melting, a sign that Aslan was on his way.

Such was my impressions as I looked out on the land around my new home, a scene that looked like nature’s war zone. Ice-laden branches broken and fallen lay strewn everywhere. Beyond our home, radio reports of the entire area, later learned to stretch across northern Arkansas, southern Missouri, and through western and north central Kentucky, revealed major power failures. Power lines and poles broken under the weight of ice and trees falling, a result of the 2-day onslaught of freezing moisture.

As in the movie, the crystal-like covering was at once mysteriously beautiful in its deadly grip on all of life. A close-up shot of a hickory nut shows how thick its icy prison to be.

After three days the temperature began to rise, and the melting revealed the earth again. Here I saw the reflection of Narnia’s hope, the return of Aslan. Aslan, a magnificent lion, and in Lewis’ imagined account, a type of Christ Who would return to free the land from the domination of Satan, typified by the Snow Queen.

Indeed, our world, like that of Narnia, is bound by sin’s icy grip that paralyses man’s life, life that could be warmed and blessed by the intimate love of our heavenly Father. God still reigns and though He allows Satan’s grip for a season, He is still in control and has set in motion the ultimate redemption of His creation, first man and then a new heaven and earth.
It has been promised. Christ, God’s Son, in His own words declared it so, and promised before He ascended to heaven after His resurrection, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3) John then wrote what God revealed about what would ultimately happen as Christ’s promise was fulfilled. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming dwon from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband…And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away…these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

2. NO RESOURCE FOR WATER (Jan. 30th)
Without power for a week caused one critical area of shortage – no water! The water company’s storage was drained and until generators were installed to pump and refill – we were without this most precious commodity for cleansing and drinking.

Oh, how wonderful to be reminded in the midst of shortages of such that my Lord is not only the provision of the water of cleansing for my heart and mind – and my soul’s thirst, but He is the LIVING WATER, the unfailing fountain source that promises to overflow in my life – to even give supply to others in like need.

Oh, God, fill me with Your sweet, fresh water of abundance to sustain and renew my dryness and the land.

“…whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

3. WHEN THE HEAT FAILS (Jan. 31st)
With no heat provided by the electricity which normally provides it, we’ve layered clothing sometimes 3 deep to keep warm. With the wood in abundance around us, especially with trees which were victims of the ice, losing their majestic branches, we were able to build a fire in the hearth. This not only provided heat to warm but gave us a retreat of comfort, and a place to roast some food in the flames. Oh, how much I’m learning to appreciate what our ancestors went through in regular daily fare.

I’m reminded of the burning bush of Moses’ experience as I peer into the flames before me. He was drawn aside to experience this mystery of a bush burning but not consumed. (Exodus 3) As I periodically feed the flames a new sacrificial log, I long for a tad of that. That aside, however, when I think of Moses facing the flames, I think of him being enveloped by the firey presence of God Himself. He was “warmed” but not “consumed”, as well. Such is the relationship with our God. We face a cold and compassionless world, but our God, the true fire of life, at times a consuming force of righteous judgment, is for us a surrounding, enveloping flame of security and warmth.

Oh, God, thank You for a storm that causes You to meet my heart in its instant want and need.

Dear friends, be encouraged during your own storms. Our God is a very present help in time of need. Be encouraged today.