I woke up to reports letting us know that bad weather is headed our way - nasty rogue tornadoes are bringing death and destruction. Earlier in the week our freeway caught on fire and collapsed. Apocalyptic times.

I didn't need a weatherman to tell me. The enemy already showed up yesterday and personally delivered the same message:

• A racer was rushed to the hospital in Guatemala with malaria and severe dehydration.
• Several of our leaders reported debilitating pain. One is so incapacitated, she is fighting for life.
• In our ministry, concerned calls are up. There is a contagion of fear in the land. 
• In my own house, one set of guests left and three new sets of guests showed up. Talia and Joe and the grandsons show up this morning as refugees from the tornadoes. There's a free couch left to make a bed out of.

I could go on. It looks like the scene from When We Were Soldiers where Mel Gibson radios in to HQ: "Broken Arrow!!" (see the first few minutes of the scene here). It's code for "the enemy has overrun us - just bomb our position!"

Problems like bees

This morning I woke up with problems swarming me like bees. My first move was a winner - I snapped at Karen. My follow up was to snap at one of our leaders over text. No time for prayer, just me in full Mel Gibson mode.

Psychologists talk about our senses being "flooded" by too much stimulus. What do we do when life feels overwhelming - like a flood? 

Well, God's people have lived through such times for centuries. And they find their strength not in To Do lists, but in the Lord himself. What do we do in the floods of life? God tells exactly what will happen: "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." Is. 59:19

What we have to do is to cast our worries and our messes on him. We need to go "all in" with him. We need to hit our knees and cry out for his intervention. 

Faith expressed through love

Bad weather or not, we were wondering about schedule conflicts in the office this morning. A training and an important leader meeting were scheduled for the same time. What to do? 

Bob and I were texting. He found solace in Galatians 5 & 6. The early church was fighting. Mini-tornadoes of legalism and feuding threatened the new believers. Paul didn't have email. He sent snail mail calling them back to the bottom line:

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal. 5:6

That's it. What does faith require? It requires expression through love. Let God sort out the rest. He will deal with our critics. He will dispatch warring angels to take out the accuser of the brethren.

I'm in my office writing you. Outside it just got a lot darker and the thunder sounds like ominous brass kettle drums. And inside, I am tempted to worry about a girl in a Guatemalan hospital.

Can you relate to feeling flooded? In times like these, I have learned to go all in with God. I have a prayer that I have learned to pray that I invite you to join me in. 

"Oh God help me! Broken arrow!"

He won't fail us. I've seen how this story ends. Mordor may attack. But as Bob Goff knows, love wins.