Comfort After the Storm

I have spent far too long in my comfortable recliner chair here in Florida, scrolling through videos of the horrific devastation from Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and Tennessee. Reel after reel of heartbreak and loss. Post after post of missing family and friends.

Yes, I’m in Florida. Yes, parts of my state were damaged catastrophically by the storm surge from this monstrous storm… but living on the beach comes with a certain amount of risk. You take a gamble with every hurricane season that passes, that eventually your number is up and you will probably be facing damage of some sort…you just pray that it’s not ‘that bad’. 

But in the beautiful town of Asheville, NC, where we had the privilege of visiting a few years ago, those folks don’t worry about hurricane damage. They might worry about snow storms, or a strong thunderstorm… but hurricanes? Nah. Not them.

What a mess. What a horrible, unspeakable mess.

I have been wracked with guilt about the ability to go on with my life and the inability to really do anything for the people who are suffering such great loss.

I had hoped that today’s bible study would lead me to an answer… but it really didn’t. Which surprised me. 

So I whispered my disdain to God. Who then told me to look for it myself. 

I thought about doing a quick online search - but He said to use my actual bible.

So I flipped to the concordance and looked for verses about peace. I skimmed the list and found nothing that jumped out at me. 

So I changed my word to comfort. I skimmed over the list of verses that talk about comfort, being comforted, the Comforter… and then one verse seemed to be glowing as my finger slid down the list…

2 Corinthians 1: 8-11 (NIV) 

We do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in [Tennessee and North Carolina]. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

BY. MY. PRAYERS. 

HALLELUJAH!

I consider myself an intelligent person. I don’t believe that we (Americans) landed on the moon in 1969 but I do believe that somehow Hurricane Helene was created and manipulated by and for greed. In the end, will we ever know the truth? Not this side of heaven, I’m guessing. 

But suddenly I know that even if this was done by some evil group for their own selfish gains, JESUS is there - in the hills of North Carolina and Tennessee! They can’t stop Jesus from being on the scene.

He is showing up disguised as a caring neighbor, a complete stranger, an emergency responder, a lineman or a heavy equipment operator, maybe as a teenager in a Jesus t-shirt… 

HE IS THERE. 

And He is ministering to the needs of the broken hearted. 

And I have helped them BY MY PRAYERS.

I know it’s almost time for Him to call us home. Jesus come quick. 

Your children are tired. 

We need You. ❤️