Disruptions, or Designed by Faith

There has been an abundance of hurricane problems lately, especially for the folks along the coastal areas, and the Gulf. If you live in those areas know that I think and pray for you, and your faith to grow.

Living in Southwest Missouri we have our storms, tornadoes, etc., and we do receive some of the benefits and troubles of the hurricanes, when they come up from the Gulf.

Last evening when my wife and I went to bed for the evening, and rest, there was a calm rain coming down from the residual affects of hurricane Ike. Like I said it was a calm, mild pouring rain; no troubles right?

About 2:30 a.m. I awoke to complete darkness, similar to being in a cave with no lights on. Our house has never been so dark. Our electric power was off, the air was not on, nothing was running, no refridgerator, or freezer, and worst of all no light. I needed to get up for a little while, so I got out of bed found the wall with my hands, and worked my way to where I knew there was a flashlight. I got the flashlight, turned it on. Oh, how good it was to be able to see. Oh, how good it is to know that God has given me that ability to do so. I pray that I never lose the heart of thankfulness for my eyesight, or anything the Lord has given me.

When I got up this morning about 5:15, the power was back on. I am thankful; for I know that there are millions in Houston today who do not have power, and will not have it for a few days, maybe weeks; let us pray for these good people.

The water which crosses our road after we get out of our driveway was up over the road, and deeper. When we needed out to go to worship our Lord, it was down enough to cross it. That is when I saw that it had risen higher than it had been before, to my knowledge since we have lived here. We wouldn’t have been able to get out at the depth it had reached.

We arrived at our church, had no Bible Study class, and we had three people present; including my wife and I. We had a hymn, read the fifteenth chapter of John, had prayer and came home.

I ask was this storm a disruption, or was it a design for faith. I choose to make it a design of faith. God always knows what He is doing. The prophet Nahum has written, “The LORD hath His way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” 1:3 (KJV).

We must learn to trust Him through every storm. The one’s which are made up of wind, lightning, rain, and tornadoes and hurricanes; and the one’s which are made up of our troubles, trials, fears, and sicknesses and diseases. Even these are in His hands, and He brings us through them, prepares us for the glory that is ahead.

-Tim A. Blankenship

A Spring Storm

Here in Southwest Missouri we have seen a good amount of Spring thunderstorms. I get the chance to view the activity of some of them. I love watching the bolts of lightning as they flash across the sky, and light up the darkness. Not too many months ago I had just driven out on a nearby highway headed into Cassville about 5:30 a.m. during a storm, and a bolt of lightning came down pretty close to where I was. You talk about a loud clap of thunder, and I let out a whoop. It startled me at first, but then I thought WOW!!!, that was awesome

This morning as I was driving into Cassville, and it was about fifteen minutes later or about 5:45 a.m. and off near the horizon; that I could see; there was a flash of lightning that lit up the whole western sky within the clouds. That was a beautiful sight to behold. It made me think of Nahum 1:3, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” (NKJV).

The other night some had heard that a nearby community; the one that I grew up in; was under a tornado warning. Some of our family called to check on us, worried that we might have been near it. I went outside, looked to the south, and southwest, then all around, and there were no low lying clouds, not any that looked threatening at all. A daughter in law called doing the same thing, and her husband, our son, could be heard in the background saying, “Tell Dad to come in from watching that tornado”. My kids know me. I have always enjoyed the storms. I have to admit that should we ever get hit by a tornado I might not be so anxious to see one again, but then I don’t know.

I hurt and weep for those who are touched by the storms; whether it is by flooding, winds, tornadoes, hail, or lightning it would be a horrible thing. In the midst of all this though we must remember “The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” He is sovereign and in control of even the storms that touch our lives. Even the storms that have to do with sickness, finances, and He especially cares for our spiritual need of knowing Him. This wasn’t meant to be a sermon or even a Bible Study, but I hope any who read it may find encouragement in their storm.

There will be many more storms, much more lightning, more tornadoes, more hail, more straight line winds, and there will be more destruction, and more lives touched by the storms. How we handle them declares our faith in God or our lack thereof.

The next time you see that bolt of lightning, or a flash which I saw this morning, remember who is much more powerful than all the lightning ever lightninged [new word!!!], and the winds that have ever blown, all the tornadoes that have ever twisted their way through cities, farms, towns and homes, and more powerful than all the floods that ever flowed. His name is Jesus. To that I say WOW!!!!!

-by Tim A. Blankenship