It seems so odd to me the way we look at hurricanes. We give them names and hours of news coverage. We watch them for days and anticipate their coming to visit. It seems some are infatuated with this cruel mistress, who does nothing but destroy and wreck our lives.
She steals onto the scene from a distance. Hardly noticed by many, but as she is revealed everyone is aware that she is coming. Grabbing more and more attention and time on the news, she soon takes in everyone with her mystery and fickle behavior. She seems to invade into everyone's life. She is not welcome here or anywhere.We all know that she is destructive and dangerous. But some cannot take their eyes off of the television and want so much to see what she has done. What is her wind speed? How big is she? What is her category now? She is indeed a cruel mistress.
When she arrives she has changed everything. We tried to prepare, but her power is more than we anticipate, and we are forced to just sit and wait for her show to finish. And, yes finish she will and we will be left to pick up and repair the damage.
I know that we need to know that a storm is coming, and to save lives and property we must have evacuations and make preparations. I have lived in north Georgia all of my life and I have never seen this affect us like what we have today with this beast of weather we call Irma. She is making a name for herself that is for sure. But, I and all of us must be careful not to become absorbed in her wickedness.
I heard someone at church yesterday say, "She has turned and we are no longer in her path." This sounded almost like an expression of disappointment. There is a sense of anticipation today as we watch the wind and rain coming. There is an odd sense of excitement today anticipating damage. We do not wish for destruction for anyone, but if it comes we will share it on the news, and by word of mouth. We will share the news of the trouble and disaster of this cruel hurricane for some time. When we gather we will tell our stories of what this cruel storm did to us.
Harvey is gone but his effect is going to impact Texans for some time. Irma his soul mate is making her mark stealing the attention from his work and having everyone admire her size, form, and strength. There will be comparisons of these two villains and their heinous work.
Through all of this, how much praying do we do? Are we willing to spend today praying or are we more absorbed in seeing how she has ruined lives. Are we trusting God to deliver us safely? A hurricane is called by all of us an Act of God. But when we make Irma personal we seem to think of her as a cruel and evil entity unto herself. She almost seems to have personality and a plan. She will be gone in a few days with nothing but destruction in her wake. We will be left with the experience of today. We will be remember how and what we did today on 9/11 once again.
Sixteen years ago the events of that day drove America to our knees. We were taken by surprise. Today we have a similar destructive event yet we have already knew she was coming for over a week. Will you pray today? Will you seek the Lord today? He is with us while we deal with Irma.
Psalm 91:1-7 NLT
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the LORD:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.