Today we are seeing, once again, the power of the Almighty God as we observe Hurricane Florence pummeling the eastern coast of the United States.  While her winds are “only” 90 miles per hour, she is traveling across the countryside at a mere 5 miles per hour as she pours rain down on thousands of people at a rate of 1 inch per hour. 

Numbers like that are staggering when you consider them for even a little while.  The trees split asunder from the stress caused by the sustained winds and they fall over from the weakening of their root systems in the over-soaked land around them.  All this, plus debris flying through the wind, is downing power lines and causing widespread loss of power to thousands of people.  Reports have been coming in about incredible flooding of their homes both from rain and the storm surge pushing the water inland.

Moreover, the hurricane is forecast to affect people and communities in multiple states, hundreds of miles from the coastline.   Indeed, we are told that the rain and wind from this hurricane will affect us for almost a week … and then comes the aftermath which will have ramifications for many months, if not years.

I’m not a meteorologist and I certainly don’t have any equipment to measure the weather – I am just pointing out what I have read and heard on the news reports of the storm. 

I am, however, a Christian and my Bible tells of a flood in which the rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.  And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

Genesis 7:11-12

Verses 17 – 20 of this chapter continue describing the deluge of water:

The flood continued forty days on the earth.  The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.  The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters.  And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.  The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.

By the way, a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters, so 15 cubits above the mountains would be 270 inches, or 22.5 feet.

We should pray for those who are in the path of Hurricane Florence and we should seek God’s providential grace that they be kept safe from harm.  We should pray for the first responders to be given safe passage as they seek to help others, for the news reporters as they try to let us know what is happening to others in our land, and for those who have been displaced by evacuation that they be given comfort and peace even as their lives have been upended by the storm.

While the storm is devastating, we can find peace even in this hard time when we remember that the Almighty God is in control and His purposes will not be thwarted by anything.  He loves His children with a love that is greater and that is stronger than any hurricane or any other power on earth.  Therefore, even in this, or any other, disaster we can praise His Name.

Blessings to you today – and forever more.

Father, there are times when no words can express our concern, our fear, and our awe at the manifestation of Your mighty power.  We tend to think of You in terms of humanity when You are the Creator and Sustainer, the Giver of Life and the Redeemer of our souls.  Your power is unlimited and Your love is unmatched.  I praise You, Father.  Please comfort all those who are going through the hurricane now.  Protect them and may Your perfect will prevail in all things.