Weather Warning Weary

Posted on September 27, 2018 by America's Keswick in Victory Call

“The law, testimony, statutes, commandment…and judgments of the Lord…are more to be desired than gold…moreover by them your servant is warned…”  — Psalm 19:7-11

With all the weather warnings issued by the media when a hurricane is coming, we might become weather warning weary and fail to heed the instruction that would keep us safe through the storm.

It all started about a week ago when the first hurricane watch was posted for Hurricane Florence. As the weekend progressed, the news reports multiplied. Soon there were tropical storm warnings, then hurricane warnings, storm surge warnings, flash flood warnings, and tornado warnings. We heard so many warnings for so many places, it would have been easy to just tune them out and hope for the best.

But we decided to listen and heed the warnings. We loaded our car with not enough of, or the right kind of, clothes. We took as much as we could from our refrigerator and freezer. We gathered our insurance policies and passports, plus a few irreplaceable personal items. Then, we evacuated under mandatory orders from our local government, expecting much of the news we had heard the past few days to be hype. But we were very wrong.

One week later, we are still not back home, as we wait for the rivers to crest and waters to recede.

We probably should have heeded the warning earlier. If we had, we would have saved a lot of money and a lot of time. As it was, without the supplies and clothes we needed, we had to buy clothes and shoes for my husband’s ministry trip this week. We had erroneously assumed we could go back after a couple of days, even though the warnings were clear that this storm would not be a brief event and we should plan for at least a week or even a month.

We thought by now there would be sunny, blue skies. We did not expect more weather warnings to be issued in relation to the same storm, but more warnings were to come just in time for my husband’s trip to northern VA. Warnings for multiple tornadoes, flash floods, and severe thunderstorms came one after another… As my husband drove, I stayed at my daughter’s house, worrying and fretting about his safety. I prayed and checked the weather channel. I texted and implored my husband to be on the lookout for severe weather, not to pass through flooded roadways, to get to shelter if it didn’t look safe. Relief flooded my soul when he texted a picture of him with Dr. Elmer Towns at the conference location.

I am weather “warning weary” today! I don’t want to listen to any weather warnings. I am ready for the storm to dissipate and the sun to shine. I am waiting for the waters to recede and the wind to subside. I long for normalcy and order, a dry, undamaged home and life as it was before the storm. Sadly, it may be months – and for some maybe never – until life returns to normal. Because of the warnings, we knew this storm was going to cause irreparable damage to homes and businesses, and to life itself, if the warnings were not heeded. But we had hoped the weather forecasters were wrong.

We may be weather “warning weary”, but we need to be careful not to become wisdom “warning weary.” If we heed the warnings of the Lord’s commandments, wisdom will lead to life (Proverbs 8:35). But for those who refuse to listen to such warnings, their foolish choices will certainly lead to death (Proverbs 8:36). Weather warnings may be wrong, but God’s warnings are never wrong. His “judgments are true and righteous altogether.” (Psalm 19:9)

“Whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.” Proverbs 8:35-36

Kim Olachea has been a pastor’s wife for 35 years, and now focuses a new ministry for pastor’s wives, Pastor’s Wives, EveryDay Lives, in 2017. She is also the founder of ProverbWise. Kim and her husband, Joe, recently stepped away from pastoral ministry, to serve pastors and churches with T-Net International, where Joe is the North American Director and Associate Dean. They also serve with ABWE’s North American Leadership Team in the ministry of discipleship and soul care for pastors and NA missionaries.  Both Joe and Kim love to travel, leading annual teaching tours to Israel, and most recently to Greece. Kim and Joe live in New Bern, NC. They have five amazing children, and seven (almost) perfect grandchildren.

The Daily Bible Reading: Nehemiah 6-7 | You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “It would have been well for the church of Christ, if the warnings of the Gospel had been as much studied as its promises.” – J. C. Ryle

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:7