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God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 46:1-3
My brother, who lives outside of Asheville, North Carolina, called me last week to tell me about the weather forecast. He first said my nephew’s high school football game was moved to a different venue due to rain. He called back later and said the football game was completely canceled. Games are usually not canceled because of forecasted rain. But this storm was different. The weatherman warned that unprecedented rains were coming to the area. The rain and flood warnings that came in had never been issued in history. Friends were texting me images of the hurricane in Florida and the damage it was inflicting, and those winds and rain were heading North to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.
The weatherman was right. But even they could have never known the absolute destruction that would follow. Fourteen inches of rain fell from the sky at the Asheville airport. Surrounding areas received 30 inches, yes that is correct, 30 inches of rain over 3 days! The result was unfathomable.
Towns have been swept away. Mountains have fallen and crashed onto highways. Tractor trailers have been tossed like corks and deposited into backyards. Entire buildings have been seen floating downstream. Homes and restaurants have been gutted, bridges destroyed, and highways broken apart. There is no power, no cell service, no sewer lines, and no water. The water department said the entire water-supply system has been destroyed and residents should not expect water in their homes for months. Aid services are dropping hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and water into areas now cut off from civilization, areas that were once bustling towns of tourists. Worst yet, there are hundreds of people unaccounted for, and the death toll continues to rise. Watching the news footage and seeing the carnage in the streets, my wife and I were in disbelief. Missy said,
“Where do you even start?!”
Remarkably, In our Old Testament reading this week in Psalm 46, God gives the answer.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Last weekend, when I could not get a hold of my brother or his family for hours and hours, that is exactly what I did- I couldn’t do anything else, and perhaps that is what God wants. I am thankful my brother’s family is ok, though there are many challenges ahead, they know their true refuge, their eternal refuge is their Lord, who will one day make all things new.
When storms rise in our hearts and minds, we do not need to fear, because God is our ‘ever-present help in trouble’, and in Christ, we have shelter and refuge that can never be washed away.
Let us pray for all the people impacted by the hurricane.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, you know all things. You know the fear, the pain, and the hurt, your people are experiencing. Father, we ask that you comfort them, Lord, with your presence. We all look forward to the day when you return and restore all things.
We pray this in Jesus' name, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God both now and forever. AMEN.
Pastor Austin
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