See A Ring Around the Moon, A Storm Is Sure To Follow Soon

Have you ever heard that old phrase, "See a ring around the moon, a storm is sure to follow soon?" I don't think I had. Tuesday night, I was walking outside from the house to the barn and I looked up and saw this. I had never really seen one of these before, or at least not that I remember, so I ran and grabbed the camera, took a couple shots, then went in to research it. According to Farmer's Almanac, "A lunar halo is caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles suspended within thin, wispy, high altitude cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. As light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22 degree angle, creating a halo 22 degrees in radius (or 44 degrees in diameter). A double halo, sometimes with spokes, may be seen on rare occasions when light reflects off water or ice. The prism effect of light passing through these six-sided ice crystals separates the light into its various colors, resulting in a halo tinged with very pale rainbow colors with red on the inside and blue on the outside. The phenomenon of a lunar halo is similar to a rainbow produced by sunlight and rain falling between your eye and the sun."

What does this mean for us? Apparently we are going to be getting some nasty weather. Isn't it interesting that nature tries to tell us these things in some form or fashion? Granted, the weather man on channel 5 has been telling us this for a few days, but it's interesting to me that nature communicates these same things. I've heard it before, and it tends to be true that if you see cows laying down, a storm's coming.

The other day I was having lunch with an old friend. He's a Christian, and a skeptic. He asked me about people who never have the chance to hear the Gospel. He said, "say they are on an island and they never see other people to tell them about Jesus, where would they go?" My first response was that I'm not to judge, but my second was that of Romans 1:18-20 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." It's a powerful word, but it's the Word nonetheless.

According to nature and the weather people a storm's coming. We are supposed to get rain, freezing rain, ice, and snow. Will we/how much we never know. I'm reminded today of the story of Joseph in Genesis 39-41 in which Joseph, in the good season, prepares for the famine. When the famine comes, they had plenty of food because Joseph had helped them think to prepare for the famine. Sometimes it's a famine or a drought, sometimes it's a storm. My question today is really, how do we prepare for the spiritual storms? It's interesting to me that we don't always have people telling us about the spiritual storms or the droughts are coming. I think it's scary that all too often we are probably distracted by the idols of our lives that we fail to see some of the storms around us or maybe even beginning to brew in our own lives. It's my prayer that we take the time today to consider our spiritual state as well. That we be mindful of the fact that we are spiritual beings, and that when we have dry seasons we should use those as times to prepare. 2 Timothy 2:4 tells me to 'preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."
Are you prepared for a storm? What season are you in?

Blessings,
frankie