Extreme Weather

Matt.16:2,3 - "But He answered and said the them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?"

The Lord is speaking to His church through nature and recent weather events, and we need to both understand and heed the signs.

On September 7th of last year, I had a dream in which I was traveling to be with my family. When I arrived, the weather was calm and peaceful. However, when I left a few hours later, I found that it had snowed so much that everything was literally buried in the snow, with snow drifts so deep that you could easily drive into them and be lost. It was treacherous. I then got into a small boat to cross a body of water. The seas, which had been calm, were now churning with huge waves and a great storm over the waters.

The Lord reminded me of the above dream/night vision, which takes on new significance in light of the recent record-breaking snow this country has seen in various states. He prompted me to review a more recent night vision, in which I saw approaching storm clouds. I remarked that the conditions looked ripe for a tornado to form. Others in the house scoffed at my observation. Suddenly, a huge tornado formed and headed directly for us. I tried to get the people in the house to the basement where I knew we would be safe, but they were mesmerized by the sight of the tornado and couldn't seem to move. I thought we would be hit, but the tornado turned away from its path at the last minute and we were spared. I declared that God had given us a warning that we would have to heed the next time.

The Lord quickened to me that we tend to "spiritualize" many of the things that He shows us, and so we are not prepared for very real circumstances that can come into our lives. However, we have entered a time of increased "birth pangs" in which natural events are increasing in frequency and intensity as the time grows near.

The Lord warns His people in dreams and visions, through His prophets, and in a still, small voice. I believe we will see the following natural calamities in our nation this year:

• One or more major hurricanes that will strike our U.S. coast(s), with devastating results.
• Tornadoes in diverse places that will cause greater destruction (and possible loss of life) than ever seen before.

Nugget of Gold: The Lord has a place of safety for His people (as depicted by the basement), but we have to heed His warnings. I believe the Lord is calling His people into a heightened state of watchful prayer and alertness, and He has planted us in His body, the church, to be in close fellowship with one another.

1 Thess.5:6 - "So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober."