I couldn’t help but relate my “window of opportunity” in some way to those in the Carolinas who were warned and given an opportunity to get to safety before Hurricane Florence hit land. Thankfully Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm, but still, lives were lost, catastrophic flash flooding continues, homes are flooded, millions of people are without power, and hundreds of rescues were required for those who didn’t take advantage of the “window of opportunity” when they could.
It reminds me of the story of the man who had many emergency warnings about the terrible storm and floods headed for his town. People were ordered to evacuate the town, but, one man heard the warning and decided to stay, saying to himself, “I will trust God and if I am in danger, then God will send a divine miracle to save me.” The neighbors came and pleaded with him to get in their car and escape with them. But the man declined. “I have faith that God will save me.” As the man stood on his porch watching the water rise up the steps, a man in a canoe paddled by and called to him, “Hurry, get in my canoe; the waters are rising quickly!” But the man again said, “No thanks, God will save me.” The floodwaters rose higher pouring water into his living room and the man had to retreat to the second floor. A police motorboat came by and saw him at the window. “We will come up and rescue you!” they shouted. But the man refused, waving them off saying, “Use your time to save someone else! I have faith that God will save me!” The flood waters rose higher and higher and the man had to climb up to his rooftop. A helicopter spotted him and dropped a rope ladder. A rescue officer came down the ladder and pleaded with the man, "Grab my hand and I will pull you up!" But the man STILL refused, folding his arms tightly to his body. “No thank you! God will save me!”
Shortly after, the house broke up and the floodwaters swept the man away and he drowned. When in Heaven, the man stood before God and asked, “I put all of my faith in You. Why didn’t You come and save me?” And God said, “Son, I sent you a warning, a car, a canoe, a motorboat, and a helicopter. What more did you expect?”
My heart goes out to those precious people and families who are suffering from loss of loved ones', the loss of their home and possessions and who have no idea what they will come home to – if anything at all. I’m certainly not taking the devastation caused by Hurricane Florence lightly for those this morning who feel hopeless.
The message that came to me yesterday was seeking God for wisdom in times of uncertainty. “But those who listen to Me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:33). His voice comes to us in many various ways: a weather report, a friend’s advice, a scripture, a sign on a billboard, and even His still small voice within us. We can take the “I’m just going to wait for God to provide for me. Or, I’m going to just simply pray about it and if it’s to be, it will be.” Or we can be like Noah, in spite of the hair-brained idea it must have been to him and those onlookers to building an ark when it had never rained before – right in the middle of the dry land, he heard God’s voice, and warning and obeyed and built that ark.
Don’t you know that it breaks God’s heart to allow the storms to come our way? As parents, doesn’t it break our hearts when our children encounter storms and though we don't ever like to see our children suffer, sometimes having them cuddle up to us for reassurance and peace, just feels good. Should we think that our Father is care-less about His kids? I believe He could be strategic in allowing some things....that He knows will draw us closer to Him. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8
I continue to pray for all those in harm's way today. I pray for our country – on so many levels and above all, I pray that not only does God bless America, but more importantly that America blesses God and turns to Him for “peace in the midst of the storms”.
