Hurricane Matthew is history, that’s the good news. In my last post I described the feeling of uncertainty as the category 4 beast approached our coast. And the more you listened to the news and our state leaders the more of a nail-biter it became.
Houses were boarded, electric generators bought, water and food supplies were stacked and the arrival of Matthew became a nervous waiting game. This hurricane had the potential of devastating property and killing people. Finally the sustained winds and gusts began.
I don’t know of many people who slept through the night.
It was somewhere between midnight and 3am when our family could hear and sometimes even feel the power of the wind inside our well protected block fortress. Bibles were read and prayers were made… before, during, and after the storm. Our hope was in the One who can calm the storm.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
In other words, this God of absolute power will clearly make Himself known to each of us to help us when we find ourselves in distress. And that’s exactly what He did for us.
Graciously God shocked and confused the weather forecasters in our area when He pushed Matthew a few miles away from us. We had missed a direct hit!
God answers prayers!!
The bad news has to do with assessing the damage after the storm, cleaning up the mess, and repairing whatever’s broken.
There were power-outages, broken roofs and fences, and sinking boats but compared to lives being spared that means very little.
You may be wondering, “Ok, so what’s the great way of doing life after a hurricane?”
Three words: Live trusting God!
Some years back a group of us helped a married couple after a massive tornado hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Their house had flooded and they lost much. But they had held on to each other during the tornado and were still holding on to their faith afterwards.
Always remember that God is the Go-To-One at anytime for anything. Let’s abbreviate that, God is our GTO!
If you’re into muscle cars (and who isn’t?) the GTO was hot in the sixties. It was slick, 4-speed, and had close to a 400 galloping horses under the hood. It gave those who had one an exciting ride. If you lived during that era you wanted a GTO. They were cool.
How about thinking of God as your divine GTO? Your Go-To-One? The Lord is powerful! Loving and trusting Him is the best, coolest thing, we can ever do. And, the exciting ride/life He gives us is beyond compare.
Why make Bible reading and praying with intensity (the way it happened before the storm) a thing of the past?
The challenge for all of us is to keep a solid relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ going on a daily basis.
Sadly, many wait for some threatening looming disaster to happen before they get close to God. If that’s you, why not make Him a part of your life when all is well?
Trust me, if it’s not a category 4 hurricane approaching it will be another form of storm that will hit you and me. It’s inevitable. Junk happens to us all!
Setting a daily one on one time with the One, Jesus, who loves us most will keep us always ready for what may come. It doesn’t mean we won’t be momentarily rattled by tough situations but that His peace will guard our hearts and souls even in the midst of difficulties.
As hurricane Matthew roared in the Atlantic and headed straight our way my wife had this unusual peace and calm about her. I use the term unusual because it was obviously divine and supernatural, coming straight from God. It’s how He works. It’s the great way to do life when we follow Him.
Please feel free to leave me a comment.
Jorge, as that hurricane was approaching, I got on my knees and prayed to God that He would protect my family, my friends, and my house. Talk about answered prayer! He not only weakened the eye of the storm by inserting some dryer air into the circulation, He also as you mentioned confused and shocked the weather forecasters by keeping that storm offshore.
Mighty is our God!
I love your GTO reference! And the coolest thing is we can go to Him anytime and anywhere; when we are feeling down, or when we feel on top of the world; perhaps even more so when things are going great to remind us that God’s grace and providence put us there.
Knowing God has our backs instills a peace and confidence in us that allows us to face any ‘storm’ or bad situation that comes our way!
I also went alone, read my Bible, prayed, and God answered! Mighty is our God for sure, Jim.