Flood Protection
“When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59.19).
Recent flooding has reminded us how quickly we can find ourselves stranded, or unable to return home. Some have been forced to cope with water damage in homes and buildings. Rivers are beautiful but not when they overflow.
The floods remind us of forces that can overcome us. We can get hit with unexpected health problems, which can also cause financial devastation. Painful family issues can feel like a tidal wave. Chronic pain, relationship breakdown, or depression, to name a few.
Children and youth can suffer a lot: school issues, bullying, peer pressure, conflicts, abuse. These things can swell like an overflowing river.
How to cope? Believers can trust God’s promises. God can lift up a wall of protection to keep us from drowning in the proverbial flood.
We may not be able to stop the problem, but we can find peace in knowing that God is still with us. We can claim the promise of Hebrews 13.6: “So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”
When difficulties persist, God has a four-point plan:
1.Trust God and stay calm.
- Pray for wisdom to manage the problem.
- Do what you can. God will help but not apart from your effort.
- Rely on God and accept the result cheerfully.
The promise of Isaiah 59 concludes with bright hope: “The Redeemer will to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, says the Lord” (v. 20). With God, failure is impossible. As we trust Him in the floods of life, He will be with us.
By Barry Kimbrough
Pastor, Cave Junction, Brookings, and Gold Beach Seventh-day Adventist Churches