Where's Your Summer Storehouse?

Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

I live along the Texas Gulf Coast, so when summer hits, I know it’s hurricane season. Long-time residents have been told year after year how to prepare if a hurricane is on its way. We put lawn furniture in the garage and clean the back yard of any loose items that might turn into missiles during high winds. We board up our windows if we’re in the hurricane’s path, and we leave the area.

Many times, my family has prepared for a hurricane to hit, and we come back home to find that, aside from a few limbs on the ground, nothing major happened.

Whether the trouble actually comes to us or not, we should take our preparations seriously. God wants us to prepare for a long, healthy life by feeding our physical bodies well and exercising often. But how do we prepare for healthy spiritual lives?

When we think about preparing ourselves spiritually, it’s almost like hurricane preparation. There are certain things we do to make sure we’re safe, and then we wait for the possibility of damage. When we feel that the trouble has passed, we take a look around and wonder why we were so tense.

You may have heard stories about people in serious trouble who recited The Lord’s Prayer or other Bible verses. Some people simply beg God for forgiveness of past sins and plead with God to take the trouble away.

Wouldn’t it be better to learn what God wants us to do to avoid the trouble? Sometimes we get into trouble that we could’ve missed if we’d followed God’s will and walked in His ways. But even in those times of trouble, our merciful God sticks with us and helps us get to a safe place.

We can store up knowledge of God’s laws and learn of His ways while in times of peace. Then when trouble comes, we’re fully stocked with Bible verses that God can pull from to show us how He plans to protect us. He might send us on a journey. He might protect us in the midst of trouble so we can pull someone else out of trouble.

God’s ways are higher than ours. I can’t predict how God will handle any situation. There are always so many factors involved that I’m not aware of. All I can do is prepare for the situation by getting close to Him in prayer and study the Bible so He can show me things that apply to the situation.

While you’re enjoying your summer, don’t forget to fill your storehouse with God and His words.