When you read the title, you probably wondered where I could possibly be going with the post today. Well, first let’s look at weather forecasts. According to this website Climate Cosmos, weather predictions have gotten more accurate with technology but they still make errors. In fact, in the seven-day forecast, they are only about 50% right.

Last week, Hurricane Erin seemed to be bearing down on the east coast of the United States. I got an email from Dominion Virginia Energy on Wednesday telling me to be prepared to lose power because of high winds. I have lived here for a quarter of a century and never got this kind of warning before, so my husband and I talked about the impending storm, he checked the weather channel online and I checked my weather app, and sure enough, we had high winds predicted. Thus, we made sure we were ready for an electrical outage, or as ready as one can ever be. We made sure we had batteries for flashlights, candles ready, and then my husband went to the store and stocked up on water and food that can be eaten without cooking it. So, with a supply of beanie weenies for him and crackers for me, with puddings and jellos for both of us, we decided that we were ready. Later that night, the forecast changed. In fact, the “high” winds were not forecast to be a mere 10-15 mph. That meant our preparation was not necessary, but we are ready for the next story. (Oh, by the way, the reason we buy water is that we have a well. The well will still have water, but the pump is electric, so no toilet flushing or getting fresh water from the faucets. Which also explains why we filled up both bathtubs with water…for flushing.) When my brother called for my birthday, he asked how we did in the hurricane because he, too, saw that Erin was barreling towards the east coast. I told him about our preparations and the fact that of course, we did not end up needing to do all of that. We both laughed at how the weather changes quickly and unexpectedly.

I am not saying Jesus is predictable, but His Word says that He is always the same. Unlike the weather, if He says in His Word that He will do it, it’s a done deal, something we can absolutely count on. That means that we should always be ready for Jesus to return. After all, He told His disciples that He would be back. He promised to take us to be with Him always and that He is preparing a place for us. Since Jesus is working on preparing a place for us, it’s a really good idea for us to prepare our hearts for Him. We don’t have to gather supplies or make sure that everything outside is secured, but we do have to stay in His Word and maintain a relationship with Him. He told us that the only One who knows when He will return is the Father, but we do have some signs in chapters like Matthew 24 that He told us would be a good prediction about His return. Preparing for Jesus is to always have oil in our lamps (the Holy Spirit active in our spiritual lives) and our minds and hearts clean before him. Confession isn’t just good for the soul, but it is also preparation for our eternal destiny. So, is Jesus more predictable than the weather. I can say with 100% certainty that Jesus is returning (unlike Erin that veered out to sea). He will come at the exact moment that the Father tells Him to do so, not one minute early or one minute late. And it is our job to be prepared. We may not know when, but we know what will happen because it is all written in His Word. Let’s focus on the return of Jesus instead of the storms in our lives or the weather forecast. We are much more likely to feel peace, assurance, comfort and security by keeping our focus on the certainty that is coming than on the weather or other circumstances that may or may not happen.