REFUGE FROM THE STORM

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farmsalong the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across theAtlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer."Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him."Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.

The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk,and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out ofbed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand'ssleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled,"Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, Ican sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him onthe spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered withtarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, andthe doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything wastied down. Nothing could blow away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned tobed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, you have nothing to fear.Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured thefarm against the storm.

We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God.