Yesterday, I spent seven hours traveling 11 miles on the Colorado river by kayak. Most people who booked trips or spots on our trip actually bailed due to inclement weather. Although weather reports earlier in the week indicated that the day would be clear, it rained for almost 72 hours in the Las Vegas valley, and many people decided to stay home. Consequently they missed the opportunity and experience for something very rare.
Our guide told us that he can count the number of times he has made this trip in the rain on one hand and have fingers remaining. The rain is a rarity in the desert of the great basin, and so we saw things other people do not. The cacti are more vibrant. The rocks reveal things when wet that you don't notice otherwise. The river was almost completely empty because people decided to stay dry.
We were not so inclined or expectant. As kayakers, we expected it was possible to get wet. Each time you debark your kayak, you end up with one foot usually in the water, and even when you launch that is frequently the case unless someone else pushes you off from dry land. Surprisingly, it was actually very calm on the river. While it sheeted rain in town under whistling winds at the meeting point, the winds were calm and the rain just a light drizzle on the river. It was calm and beautiful and not all that much colder than it is at other times of year on sunny days.
Ignore the weather report and the weather men who give them. There will come times in your life when you will feel impressed to go and do things that make no sense or that run contrary to your senses. At those times, you must learn like Albert Mondego in "The Count of Monte Cristo" to dare the storm to do its worst. Only those who set sail in troubled waters can see the might of the sea. Revelation, like weather, depends on where you are. Just like it was raining in town but calm on the water, some things will apply to you depending on where you are that do not apply to other people. Revelation from God is personalized, localized, and specialized depending on your preparedness and the needs of the Master. Although there are general patterns, there are also specific circumstances. Remember that it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark. You will probably never be asked to build one, but if you need one and listened, you will be forever grateful you hearkened to the message.
Over the past few months, I have received many impressions that were contrary to information and deliberation. Sometimes, I have gone anyway and known why. Other times, I went and did and still have no idea why. The weather is only part of the story, and even bad weather passes like the storm did today to reveal the warmth of the sun. You never know what might be coming, so learn to listen to the whisperings of the Spirit. He always attempts to speak to you. As you learn to listen to his voice and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes, you too will go where others dare not and see what others consequently cannot because you ignored the weather and followed inspiration.
Others will attempt to dissuade you. Sometimes they will do so because they "care" about you. All too often we hearken to the interested albeit uninspired opinions of others and miss what God would show us and give us and have us become. Those people do not love you as they claim. Someone who truly loves you will turn you to the Lord, who is a God of Truth and the only being of which I am aware who has no ulterior motives. Ignore the weather and the weather men. Weather Men are usually wrong. Trust in God and His Christ, who is able to still the storm and bring peace when you quake in your boats on the Galilee of life and worry you may die. He is leading you to a land of promise where only those who weather the weather may enjoy perfect weather.
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