Be Prepared
It was once said, “What life does to us depends on what life finds in us.” Here are four emergency essentials that you’ll need to survive life’s storms.
Water – The Life of Christ
The most essential supply for life is water. The human body cannot survive more than a few days without it, so water is the first thing shipped to a disaster area. Likewise, the most essential supply for spiritual life is spiritual water. Without it, there is no spiritual life.
Jesus met a woman sitting at a well in Samaria, and asked her for a drink of water. As the conversation continued, Jesus told her, “Anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give people will be like a spring flowing inside them. It will bring them eternal life” (John 4:14, Easy-to-Read Version). Jesus told the Samaritan woman how to have her dry wasteland of weakness, desperation, and emptiness permanently satisfied. The water Jesus offers is not drawn from a well. It flows from a fountain. Water wells can dry up, and become contaminated. But a fountain is an ever-flowing source of pure, clean, satisfying water. Jesus is sitting at the fountain of your heart, and offering His living water to you.
Light – Activated Faith
As long as we are in the dark, we are fumbling for direction. But a flashlight gives us the courage to take steps with certainty. Similarly, faith is the power that allows us to move ahead in our spiritual lives. Hebrews 11:1 teaches, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see” (New International Reader’s Version). By faith, pick up the Word of God, believe it, and allow God’s voice to speak into your life. His Words will revive you, and temper your storm.
Emergency Contacts – The Body of Christ
When a storm hits, isolation is dangerous. It can leave a person vulnerable, and without access to help. According to Romans 12:5, we need one another. “Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s Body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete. [...] So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others” (Living Bible).
A couple of days after receiving the news of our son’s death, my husband went to Nairobi to arrange bringing his body home. A friend accompanied him to help. It was not a time to be alone. Over the course of those initial days, many people stepped forward to help. Our dear friends, Pastor Simon and his wife, Agnes, were among the first people we talked to. James had periodically lived with them during the last five years of his life, and they loved him like he was their own child. On hearing the news of his death, they responded: “We will leave immediately for Nairobi, and wait with our son’s body until his father arrives.” And those loving, godly people headed out from their home in Namanga to be with our son. In addition, professional colleagues in Kenya met my husband at the airport. One voluntarily witnessed our son’s autopsy, so she could confirm its accuracy. Another went shopping, so James’ body would be “properly dressed” when his father arrived. God was there touching us through people. Sometimes, the force of a storm is too great to carry alone – but the people in our lives can help.
Blanket – Prayer
Prayer unfolds God’s banner of love, and wraps us in His care. In Psalm 55:17, the psalmist said, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice” (New King James Version). As you pray for God’s comfort and strength, remember there’s no tug- of-war with God. He’s not playing a sinister power game with our lives. He doesn’t yank or drag us over the line, nor rejoice when we feel crushed and defeated. So, release your burdens through prayer, and allow God to bring peace to your storm. 
