(Repost from the THRIVE! Journal, April 11, 2013)

We’ve had a flood at our house. The day I finished writing my post, Thriving In The Unknown, my niece discovered a puddle of water near our laundry room. Initially, we thought it was the washing machine. But it wasn’t. A plumber came and spent four hours trying to find the source of the leak. What he found was not good. A water pipe was leaking somewhere in a wall near our kitchen/laundry room area. So, the last few days have been very challenging. I was reminded how much we rely on a continuous source of clean water, ready whenever we want it. I realized how little I know about what’s going on inside the walls out of sight. For us, the water on the floor was just a symptom of what was happening behind the walls. As I contemplated the worst case scenario, Isaiah 59:19 came to my mind.

“…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives].” (Isaiah 59:19 AMP)

One of the definitions of the word standard on dictionary.com is “a flag indicating the presence of a sovereign or public official.” What standard would God raise up to help me drive back the feelings of being overwhelmed and out of ideas? What standard would God raise up to stop the the flood? All I could do was pray and ask God for help.

Then yesterday, something unusual happened. Over the course of the day, three good friends called, each one saying “God told me that I needed to pray for you today. What’s going on?” What was unusual about that was that none of them knew what had been happening at our house. Their faith and their prayers were the standard that God raised up to announce His presence that day. I was encouraged and my faith was lifted.

Perhaps you have a flood at your house. Maybe it’s not a literal flood of water, but a flood of circumstances that are overwhelming, frightening, or disheartening. Ask God to help you. Look for His standard. God’s presence is with you.

“Resilience is the ability to face and handle life’s challenges, whether everyday disappointments or extraordinary disasters…” ~ Linda Graham, MFT