The Storm

THE STORM

The scene in the photo above looks peaceful and inviting.  It's the view looking down my son's driveway last November (10 months ago).  He lives about 15 miles from the coastline of North Carolina where Hurricane Florence made a roaring visit last week.  Florence was uninvited and she stayed way too long.  She wrecked havoc in her path as evidenced by the following picture that shows my son's yard a few days after the storm and after crews had come to help clean up the mess.

 

You might say, surely that is not the same place!  It's a slightly different angle, but it's the same front yard.  It kind of looks like a war zone with all the piled up tree trunk remnants and missing trees. 

 

 

 

Here's a picture of one of the large pine trees that toppled - just missing falling on the house (although it did snag a corner of the roof and portion of the carport).  My son lost about a dozen trees in the front and back yards, but God kept his family and his house safe.

 

I'm reminded of an old hymn written by Mosie Lister, called, 'Til the Storm Passes By.  Here are a few of the lyrics of the song:

 

   In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face,

   While the storms howl above me, and there's no hiding place.

   'Mid the crash of the thunder, precious Lord, hear my cry,

   "Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by."

 

The song ends with these meaningful words:  "Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of thy hand; keep me safe 'til the storm passes by."

 

So much of what happens in nature offers a picture of things that happen in our lives.  Storms are not only physical swirls of wind and rain and thunder, they are also what happen in our lives when tragedy strikes and difficulties roar into our lives.  The physical devastation that occurs after a storm like a hurricane can mirror the devastation that happens in human lives when horrible events visit our peaceful existence.

 

There is sorrow and heartache, pain and suffering happening in every corner of our world every minute of every day.  It's enough to "make a grown man cry" as the saying goes.  And the second verse of the aforementioned song gives a clue to the enemies work:  "Many times Satan whispered, 'There is no use to try, for there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by.'"  Does that sound familiar?  No doubt the enemy has whispered that very thing into your ear/heart at some point in your life.  Just remember, Satan is a liar and the father of lies, so whatever he's whispering in your ear, you may know it's wrong.

 

Yes, there's sorrow all around us, but that is what happens in a sinful world.  When sorrow strikes and a storm roars into your life, don't despair and don't give up (as Satan would have you do).  There is always hope, because there is always God -- in control and all around us.  God offers hope, comfort, guidance on that storm strewn path, and His love to get us through it.

 

Remember those last words of the song and know that God will indeed keep you in the hollow of His great and loving hand, and He will keep you safe 'til the storm passes by.

 

And - I praise and thank God for keeping my dear son, his dear wife, and my two sweet precious grandchildren safe in the midst of that powerful storm.  Our God is all-powerful and so merciful!