September 2, 2018. That is the day that my wife I and woke in the morning to a foggy Blue Ridge Mountain morning. Why is that special or note worthy? It is because we had just moved from the East Coast area of North Carolina to the Western Mountains of North Carolina. Little did we know, that just a few short weeks later, we would be watching our friends and church family back East deal with hurricane Florence. 

Photo Credit: https://disasters.nasa.gov/hurricane-florence-2018

I can still remember the times that we had to prepare for hurricanes over the past 8 years of living there. I could not help but feel glad that my wife and I did not have to deal with the struggles that were still happening almost a week later. At the same time, I have a longing to go there and do what ever can be done for those who cannot help themselves. As I think and pray about ways that my wife and I along with our new church family here in the mountains can get involved, I am once again seeing the greatness of our Holy God.

I am not sure if we are always aware of the fact that our God is a God who is always multi-tasking. Effortlessly multi-tasking I might add. Some may be asking the usual question, “if God is such a great God, then why, why does He allow such hardship and suffering?” It is a valid question. One which I believe God wants us to ask and ponder over.

I believe that this question is what allows us to seek more of God. How else would we know how great our God really is? Just ask Job? I mean, it is always in the middle of the storm that God really has our attention. I do not mean to say that God purposely puts hurricanes in the path of certain areas or people, I am saying that we live in a world created by God. Nothing happens without Him knowing about it.

This world has also been contaminated by sin and wickedness. The fact is, bad things happen. Bad things happen to “good” people and guess what, bad things happen to “bad” people also. God is God and “God does not show favoritism” as Peter realized in Acts 10:34.

Just as all the great attributes of our Holy God are available to all people, so it is true about the mighty authority and wrath of God. This is NOT to say that any natural disaster is part of God’s wrath. It is only to say that God is never surprised nor is He out of control of His universe and it is those who know Him who experience the peace in the middle of and in the aftermath of the storms of life.

Having pointed all of that out, I would simply like to point out that God has made it possible for us to be a part of His Kingdom even while we live in a world that sometimes makes us feel like something is wrong. However, for those who will continue to seek Him in the fair weather days, will take comfort in Him during the storms of life.

During this time Psalm 23 comes to mind. Not really the entire Psalm, just the first verse. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (NASB) I heard it taught many years ago by a preacher who’s name I cannot recall. He explained the verse as follows, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. – another God! You see if God is our Lord, what else could we possibly need in any situation that we do not already have? If God is my shepherd, I do not want another God!

So, while we pray and help our brothers and sisters who were affected by hurricane Florence, let us remember and help others know that God is still God and that He is fully involved in what is going on in the world.