I am writing this blog while sitting in a hotel room while we await the arrival of Hurricane Helene. As most of you know, my wife and I are full time RVers, and an RV is not the safest place to be during a storm with the potential of high winds and the possibility of tornadoes. So, we checked into a hotel to sit this one out.

Before we left our RV, we did everything we could to secure all of those things that could easily be blown away by the high winds. It took us a while to make sure everything was safe and secure. Then, we checked our lists to make sure we had everything we needed for a night in a room away from home. We are now praying for the storm to pass without a lot of property damage, and even more important, without loss of lives.

As I sit here now, thinking back over the preparations we made for this move to a hotel room, it makes me think of preparations which need to be made for a far more important move that we will make in the future. There will come the day in which we will all take a journey through what the Bible refers to as the valley of the shadow of death. We will pass from this life to the next. And we must make preparations for that journey so that it does not catch off-guard.

I would venture to say that those in Helene’s path have been frantically making preparations and taking safeguards to make sure their belongings will be safe through the ravages of the storm. Sandbags have been placed strategically in an attempt to keep the floodwaters from damaging their property. Windows have been boarded up, hoping the efforts will protect their windows from being blown out by the high winds. After every safeguard has been put in place, they then take seriously the calls for evacuation, moving to safer ground to sit out the storm.

Have you taken seriously the warnings of Scripture? Have you realized your desperate need of safe passage when it comes your turn to pass through that valley? Have you placed your trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ, accepting His gracious offer of salvation, so that the valley will not catch you unprepared, but will be a welcomed friend who sees you safely through that valley into that place Jesus has gone to prepare for those who love Him and long for His coming?

Let’s let Helene be a harbinger of things to come. Let’s let this storm that is now passing through the night to be a vivid reminder of the necessity of being prepared, and to let it be a time of soul-searching to make sure that we know beyond all doubt that our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

And, let’s pray for those in the path of this powerful storm. It is one of the worst in recent history, and may prove to be one of the most devastating of all time. Let’s pray for those first responders who put their lives on the line for those who are in need of rescue. And, let’s pray for loved ones who are not yet ready for the coming of that future date with the valley. They desperately need the Lord!

Until next time:

Blessings!