Kim Wilbanks

Comfort On A Stormy Night

A flash of lightning from a recent tropical storm illuminated my bedroom. I pulled my favorite blanket close to my chin and snuggled into my bed. Its softness comforted me. Feeling safe and secure, I drifted off to sleep.

I love this blanket of mine. I got it on a March Madness trip with friends back in 2021. (My friend bought the same blanket). It’s multicolored with mixed patterns, just my style. Joseph had his coat of many colors. I have my blanket of many colors. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s in the heat of summer or the dead of winter. I sleep with this blanket all the time. The softness of the fabric soothes me in all kinds of storms, real or imagined.

Last week, we experienced a tropical storm. We were far enough from the storm’s center that we did not experience its full force—just the wind and rain from the bands that passed through. Sometimes my storms are more internal, like when we were concerned about our newborn grandson’s overnight visit to the hospital. If you watch the news or follow current events on social media, like me, you probably sense an even larger, unseen storm in our world. It makes me think about something else I wrap myself in when faced with these particular storms. God’s Word.

Covering Myself In The Word

I enjoy studying the Bible. I have read through the Bible a few times. Each January, I commit to reading through the Bible. Sometimes vacations get me off track and I get behind. If I’m reading a chronological Bible, I sometimes get stuck somewhere between the Kings and the Prophets. The names of people and places get me bogged down. More often than not, I fall short of reading all the way through.

Not this year, though.

Some friends told me about a plan they were using to read through the Bible. It’s called The Bible Recap. You read several chapters a day, and then the host, Tara Lee Cobble, spends seven or eight minutes briefly explaining what you have just read. It’s chronological, so you skip around the different books of the Bible depending on what is happening at the time. I’m a little more than halfway through and I can really see how the Bible is one continuous story about God’s love for his people and also how Jesus is there from Genesis to Revelation.

She also includes links to maps, charts, and articles that will help you dig deeper into what you have read.

Another thing I have done has helped tremendously. I listen to the Bible on a Bible app while I am reading along. A common thought is “Oh, that’s how you pronounce that word.”

The Bible Recap isn’t an in-depth Bible study, but if you want to get into God’s word and see how it truly is a cohesive story about God and his love for us, I highly recommend you try it out. It is not dated, so you don’t have to wait until January 1 to start. You could start today! 

Listening to the news and seeing what is happening in the world today can be disheartening to distressing. Wrapping yourself in God’s word helps comfort and keep you grounded in the storms of this world. Wrapping ourselves in God’s words constantly reminds us he is in control and that we will be okay.