Latest update that I've heard: "Hurricane Irma left more than 1 million residents of Puerto Rico in the dark Thursday after carving a destructive path through a string of Caribbean islands and killing at least nine people.
The Category 5 storm battered the tiny island of Barbuda (at first I thought they said Bermuda) and left thousands homeless on the island territories of St. Bart and St. Martin, where local officials said about 95 percent of the island was completely demolished after Wednesday's thrashing.
I just received a confirmation from a very good preacher on TV-- the moment I posted about praying for the hurricane to shift northeast and miss Florida to remind people about the Titanic, and choosing to be on-board the ship of life headed towards Paradise, the preacher said that Christians are asleep-- just like on the Titanic. His sermon has been about the importance of communication, and that prayer is communication. And that we are to "pray always," as the Apostle Paul taught.
To do this we must have an "attitude of prayer." "Always," means three Greek words:" 1) By, or watching (not sleeping) "through" the whole opportunity/situation; 2) Every situation 3)
When we are attacked, the pastor said, we must "pray through the whole situation", in this case, an approaching hurricane which is the most powerful in 10 years, a Category 5--
This means, we as Christians, should pray continuously until the hurricane threat comes to an end, in this case--
He said, the Bible is the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, that helps us to pray without ceasing. When we are being attacked spiritually, relentlessly by evil, we can respond through prayer-- our mouths, our eyes---being watchful, on our guard, not literally, but, spiritually--- paying attention, watching through the whole situation-- praying throughout the whole threat--perseverance-- pay attention to what is going on; pray specifically for what is going on--
in this case, calling to mind the approaching intense Category V storm;
He went on to say "pay attention to the war that is going on around us," by "keeping our eyes wide open,"
(symbolically/spiritually)
pray over and over, he said, persistently keep it before the LORD--
This especially applies to the hurricane approaching--
Prayer: "may we be aware of the situation in which we live, of the spiritual war raging around us, ...may we be persistent in our prayer life, for our own needs, and all the saints..."
In the Name of Jesus Christ
Acts 23? and Ephesians 6-- the whole armour of God
We have opportunities every day in spiritual warfare;
I wanted to add, that in this case, the threat is clear--
A massive hurricane--
To me, it confirms our mission in life as Christians, to "prepare the way of the LORD!"
To be ready for every storm;
This is everyone's mission.
A hurricane (Joaquin) sank the huge cargo ship, the "El Faro," a few years ago, and over-confidence in an aging ship, and the capabilities of man-made things.
There was a similar situation with the sinking of the Titanic in the North Atlantic-- an overconfidence in a man-made so-called, "unsinkable ship." Most people were asleep on that ship, on that fateful day. Many in the world, including Christians, as this pastor pointed out, are asleep.
We are not unsinkable.
We need Jesus to be saved.
He is the only way to Heaven.
The only "ship" of Life, or "Arc of the Covenant," (The Judaic Word of God) or like "Noah's Ark,"
Are you on-board the ship of life?
The only way on-board, as one Lutheran pastor said once a few years ago, is to have a "free-ticket."
But, we must live in peace, on the ship, according to the rules established by the Captain.
This is also a consensus in Christianity.
A massive storm is heading for Florida destroying 95 percent in it's path;
I believe it is symbolic of the world as a whole.
Let's pray ceaselessly until it passes,
and to be ready for every storm of life.
And ensure we live in a way that is worthy of those on-board.
--Herald