hurricane

Our Stronghold

/ pastorpete51 / 10 Comments

In case anyone hasn’t watched any television recently, we here in Florida are in for a doosie of a hurricane named Ian! So of course as we were finishing up our morning men’s prayer meeting the storm was central to our conversation. Just then my friend interrupted our small talk and suggested we turn to Psalm 46. This morning that passage took on a whole new meaning for us.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though tye earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2 NIV

Well we don’t have even one mountain in our whole state, but huge swaths of real estate are predicted to be under the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Some of us are evacuating inland, others stocking up on water and gas for their generators. But no matter where we decide to go we can rest assured that God is very present in this our troubled time.

Urgent Prayers

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Lord hear our prayers for the people in the path of this mighty storm.

Lord spare lives and turn away their destruction even in the middle of crisis

Lord speed the way and make level paths for those fleeing the floods

Lord save souls caught in the path of destruction

Lord see us once again with eyes of Mercy though we have turned our backs in the past. Tonight we urgently and humbly pray seeking your help on this time of need.

Eye of the Storm

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Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.       Psalm 57:1 ESV

Vital to a hurricane’s formation is the occurrence of a center around which its winds gain strength. Its existence in the middle of the chaotic destruction all around is because the winds cannot penetrate the protective wall that the winds form around the eye.  To get into that calm center of the hurricane, such as the one currently bearing down on our state, means its leading edge have already passed over you. As it passes the winds calm and the blue sky appears for a little while, but it is only a temporary respite. Soon thunder, lightning and dark clouds move in, the wind direction reverses and chaos descends again.

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Maybe your life feels like you are in the hurricane of a catastrophic event, a broken relationship or a health crisis. But God has promised you and me us a real calm and a shelter that is way better than the eye of a storm. This refuge is called, “The shadow of His wings.” For us to hide under God’s wings means getting close to Him. His wings can only cover us when we are near enough to touch Him. So remember that when life spins out of control, He offers a refuge greater than the temporary peace at the eye of the storm. His peace will protect and keep us until every storm of destruction has completely passed us by.