from Ron Rose
July 14, 2008

Preparation

We hear of disasters everyday, some catastrophic, some more intimate and personally devastating; regardless of the type of crisis, frayed and broken people are left in the wake; but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Consider this survival training for faith giants, a call to change the channel. Disasters are always timeless testing points for faith. Although most tragedies are unexpected and unpredictable, it’s best if you invest some time an effort preparing for them… in advance. One reason for reading Faith Notes each week is the consistent focus on anticipating the unknown… these stories are great resources for life in the deep… where you are out of your element, over your head, and under the gun.

Real survival is not about skill and training alone; it’s also about your perspective. When you live for years in a low-risk lifestyle, driven by safety all at cost, your perspective gets dull and stale. Life goes on cruise control, passion disappears, and you loose your ability to see beyond your nose. So this week the focus is the real resources needed to survive tragic times and emerge with a tested, stronger, more courageous faith. Do you have the heart for survival?

When crisis or disaster hits, and it will, you loose track of time, your focus gets near-sighted, you forget to tie the knot, and sometimes you forget to breathe.

Time after time you try to punch a hole in the sky with our prayer requests… seeking rescue, miracles, healing, protection, answers to “why.” But, could it be that it’s been so long since you expected any response that you don’t bother to look or listen for answers?

I know these challenges can work miracles; they can sharpen and refine your perspective. They can awaken your senses; your eyes can see beyond what you’ve seen before; and your ears can hear wisdom in spite of the noise and distractions. Tie that in a knot and hang on!

How can this happen? Preparation!

Survival with a Faith Perspective: (copy this and keep it with you)

* Get to know the Creator. The more you know about his power and presence, the more you will be willing to trust Him for the impossible and unexpected. (Read his diary)
* Before you do anything… take 4 slow deep breath and say, “God, I know you’re here.” (Say it four times)
* God wants you to do something about this. You are not a helpless victim here; You’ve got choices!
* Get to know people who have faced disasters, listen to their stories. God can use them to prepare you for the next great challenge.

Inspiration

Melissa was in the middle of an emotional meltdown, a crisis from within. Her husband had been out of work for months and the tensions at home were out-of-control. She felt like she was drowning in despair.

She couldn’t stop crying. The tears wouldn’t end; they streamed down her face even as she called on God for rescue. It just wasn’t working. She really tried to trust God for answers, but the more she tried the emptier she felt. Even as she prepared lunch for the kids, waves of despair overwhelmed her again.

“I tried to call a friend. He was not available at any of the three numbers that I had,” she explained. Then out of “nowhere” she remembered words that forced her to see beyond the tears. “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

Melissa prayed again, but this time not for rescue. “God, I am to the end of my rope and I don’t even have the strength to tie a knot.” She was beginning to see with fresh eye.

In the middle of the prayer she heard her Mom’s words, “Melissa, when you feel like you can’t go on, think about your kids. April and Aaron need you. If you can’t do it for any other reason, do it for them.”

Melissa’s crisis was still overwhelming, but her eyes began to see beyond herself. She took a few deep breaths and went to the living room where the kids were. There was no hiding that she had been crying. “I told them to get their shoes on we were going to get out of the house for a while.”

They packed some sandwiches and went to the lake for a picnic supper. A squirrel came right up on the picnic table and tried to steal April’s food. The tears were history; the cool breeze and the laughter had cleansed her soul.

After they ate, all three took a walk out to the dock nearby. On the way Melissa found a piece of rope lying on the ground. One end was clean cut; the other was frayed and broken. She tied a knot in the frayed end and thanked God for giving her strength to hang on!

Melissa put the rope in her pocket and kept it as a symbol of God’s boundless presence when everything around us is frayed and broken.
By faith, she tied a knot and hung on.

Motivation

Prepare while you can.

* Read the Psalms and underline the verses that describe who God is and what He’s like.
* Practice taking four deep breaths and saying… “God I know you’re here.”
* Refuse to be a helpless victim. Do something—Do it now!
* Ask people to tell you about disasters they have faced and listen for the fingerprints of God in their stories.