When Storms Rage

As I write this, I'm sitting alone in the basement of our house because everyone in this area has been strongly encouraged to seek shelter in a safe place since it's likely that a tornado will form. Before I came down here, I saw the rain coming down so hard and fast that it looks like a light gray curtain. The American flag in the front yard was flapping wildly. I'd heard that possible hail is expected in some parts of the county and surrounding areas.

As I sit in the safest place in my house, I pray.

Father, be with everyone during this widespread storm that has wreaked havoc in several states and is now speeding across Georgia. Shelter us as You display Your mighty powers all around us.

We cannot prevent the storms from coming. We can do nothing to lessen their severity. We cannot change their path. Neither can we do anything about the storms of life when they-- with Your permission--arrive, some predicted (as this one is), some not. In all storms, we can only cry out to You for saving mercies and for an awareness of Your presence with us.

As I reflect on this, I recall a Bible story (found in Matthew 8:23-27) about a sudden storm that savagely battered the disciples as they rowed from one side of the lake to the other. Fearing they were going to die out there, they woke Jesus up (for He was fast asleep on the boat) and cried out, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

Jesus immediately commanded the storm to cease and the waves to stand still. Amazed by His great power to calm the wind and the waves, the disciples asked each other, “What kind of man is this that even the storms and the waves obey Him?”

I realize that regardless of the kind of "storm" that rages in our lives, we can take great comfort in knowing Jesus is as near to us as He was to the disciples and that He will surely help us if only we’ll ask Him to. Whether He stills the storm or allows us to suffer through it, He will be right there with us.

This was taken in another state a couple of months before I wrote the above post.