Faith vs. fear

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Prayer power

by Mervyn Morelock, Lt. Colonel –

Recently, a friend sent me this story called, “Can you sleep while the wind blows?”

Years ago, a farmer who owned land along the Atlantic coast advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along this coast, because they dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on building 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 farm hand?” Asked the farmer.

“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 his work.

Then, one night, the wind howled loudly in from off shore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping 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, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks were covered by tarpaulins, the cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.

The farmer then understood what his hired man meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you are prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?
Another story illustrates the same point—faith replaces fear.

An airplane, flying 30,000 feet in the air begins to be buffeted by a terrible storm. The seat belt signs flash on. A very nervous man is seated next to a little boy who is calmly reading a magazine.

The man asks the little boy, “Aren’t you afraid of the storm and that we could crash?” The little boy looks up at the man and says, “No, sir.”

“Well, why not?”

“Cause my daddy is the pilot,” came the calm reply.

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4).


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