Even at the threat of hurricane Florence, He is still God.
Chatter is in a constant stream from radios and newscasters. Emergency-management press conferences continually come across the airwaves. Universities are sending students home. Schools are closing. Folks evacuating…
All because of a hurricane named Florence — a storm of biblical proportions.
It’s scary!
Florence spins like a monstrous chainsaw cutting a path through the Atlantic ocean dead-aimed at the coast of the Carolinas. She has no respect for life. No respect for property. And just like Harvey that hit Texas last year, her plans are to stall once she comes onshore, creating catastrophic flooding from the shore to our mountains.
It looks bad, folks.
But wait a minute … I’m a child of God.
Are you?
And as a child of God, He has promised to be with us always. Even in a hurricane named Florence.
The Lord has promised to carry us when we are too weary to stand. He has promised to hide us beneath the shadow of His wing until the calamity passes us by.
I’ve been drawn to Isaiah 43:1-2 for a couple of days now:
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
This assures me that our God will be with us and take care of us through this storm. We belong to Him! The One who created heaven and earth, the One who hung the stars in place, and numbered the hairs on our head — HE tells us we are His and to not be afraid.
When we go through deep waters, He will be with us and will lift us high above the current of destruction.
When we go through rivers of difficulty, we will not drown — our difficult places will not consume us.
And when we walk through the fire of oppression, we will not be burned. In fact, we won’t even smell like smoke from the fiery trial of the enemy.
We can hold fast to these promises.
We can hold fast to Him — the One who loves us with an everlasting love.
Florence will surely come, leaving massive destruction in her wake, and even some of God’s children will suffer because of it — we live in a fallen world where bad things happen to good people. But we will not be forsaken. God will make Himself known to us in the difficult places. He will use us to bring His light into the darkness, joy to the sorrow, peace to the chaos.
Yes, He will use us … if we’ll let Him.
And we will find Him … if we seek Him.
And He will answer … if we call out to Him, and not forget to be still and listen.
The Keeper of our soul will keep us and bring us safely to the other side.
Selah
