In recent weeks 2 powerful hurricanes have ravaged the Caribbean islands of Barbuda, Dominica and Puerto Rico, destroying their island’s electrical infrastructure. The hurricanes may be gone but the real difficulty is just beginning for these islanders. Today many thousands of people find themselves without power. Although we did not have to endure howling, terrifying hurricane force wind, rain and floods we know what it is like to live without electricity. In chapter 11 of our book we describe the trials that happen when power is taken away. Being without electricity is terrifying because we do not realize just how much we depend on it.
In our world today very few can live without power as it has so infiltrated our lives. None of us has lived at a time when electricity did not exist. It has spread to every nation and each day that we live we depend more and more on electricity, forgetting how to live without it. It is an unhealthy and unnatural dependence that has a fatal Achilles heel. You see many of us take power for granted. In one moment God can take power away as He has done through hurricanes on Dominica, Puerto Rico, Barbuda, Florida, Cuba and other places. What happens then? For those that have not had catastrophe take away their electricity yet, let me explain what happens.
We use power for more than just Facebook and web surfing these days as our comfort and very lives depend on it. When you live on an island you may not realize how much you need power until it is taken away. When power goes, so do the lights. If you live in a small dark home with no windows it gets very dark indeed. You could use a flashlight but that uses power and when it runs out of power you need to put in new batteries. If you have none you are in trouble. Next you have no cooling; which in the tropics can be very dangerous. More difficult still, you now have no way to keep food fresh and frozen. Both fridge and freezer will not work and food within will quickly rot. You may have tinned goods but you cannot reheat anything unless you have something other than an electric stove. Eating becomes a challenge; sometimes impossible, without electricity. The worst problem of all however, is not having water. We all need fresh water every day. If we go more than 5 or 6 days without water, we will die. Without electricity to pump fresh water from the ground, how do you drink? So forget about comfort and ease. Without power, living in our day and age becomes a life and death struggle very quickly.
This is the reality of many thousands in the Caribbean as you read this. Their world, totally dependent on power, has crumbled. Soon, without food and water, hysteria and panic will come in. Lawlessness will creep out as people are willing to do anything to stay alive. Resources will become scarce very rapidly as armed thugs will take what they want. Fear will grip the population and people will die. All of this is due to the fact that we have lost the ability to live without power. We have become so dependent on it that we cannot live without it. But what happens when God takes it away suddenly? What if He took away your power?
Our faith today is in more of man and his systems than it is on God. We do not have faith in Him anymore. We do not trust Him for our daily bread. We trust in our electricity and gadgets to keep us fed, watered and comforted instead. This is where our faith is. Isaiah put it bluntly in 50:11, “Behold, all you [enemies of your own selves] who attempt to kindle your own fires [and work out your own plans of salvation], who surround and gird yourselves with momentary sparks, darts, and firebrands that you set aflame!—walk by the light of your self-made fire and of the sparks that you have kindled [for yourself, if you will]! But this shall you have from My hand: you shall lie down in grief and in torment.” God is very clear here that when we trust in the systems of man, we are not trusting in Him.
Too many today approach faith as an intellectual exercise or some spiritual airy fairy ideology. They do not see faith as it should be; a practical and real trusting in God for your daily food, water, shelter and clothing. This kind of real faith is vibrant and alive just as much as it is unappealing to the mind and pride of ‘self’. Faith that puts real practical trust in God for daily needs will trump any so called intellectual exercise of faith. How do we know this? Because we live our faith, every day, trusting Him to provide for us the basic necessities of life. This is why God leads us into the season of the wilderness. This is not some made up allegory or fancy story. This is real life trusting in God. With or without power. With or without shelter. With or without food and water; we will continually trust Him for our daily bread and nothing can change that. Although we have power now, we know just how easily all of this can be taken away. Our faith will not be shaken if it does. We know that no matter what happens, God will always care for us.
How can I tell you, convince you, that if your faith does not throw your entire being on Him in complete trust it is worthless? What can I show you from our own lives, a living example for you, to help you understand that in order to escape the perilous trap you are in, you must trust Jesus for everything? Your unthinking reliance on the systems on man will be challenged by God when He proves Himself Lord over the earth. When He takes away what you really trust in, how will you fare? I wonder. The people of Puerto Rico, Barbuda, and Dominica are facing this now. Will they take steps to trust in God to provide for their needs and let their faith grow; or will they flail around grasping and taking so their ‘self’ nature is satiated?
Catastrophes on earth will only increase in the days ahead as the birth pangs come closer together. God is intent on testing people to see what they believe in. He will bring trial, hardship and devastation to the earth to take away all that we rely on that is not in firm reliance on Him. He will strip us bare in the wilderness to show us how utterly powerless and feeble we are. We have no strength apart from Him and are fools if we believe otherwise. The days of ease and comfort are coming to an end. There will be a great testing coming to the whole earth as God prepares it for His return. Our family is just one of many that have been trained to be ones crying out from the wilderness for many to turn from their ‘self’ nature and embrace Jesus in complete trust.
Today God has shown the world just a small portion of His power. Our hearts go out to the people of the Caribbean whose lives have been thrown upside down by these hurricanes. In this time, we pray for their safety, well-being and their faith. We pray for them, as well as you, that they will begin to learn to trust God for their daily bread. Let Him lead you today into the wilderness so your faith can become something other than just a nice idea.
Blessings,
Homer
