A severe thunderstorm in our area last autumn caused me great concern.
It was the periphery of a tropical storm on the eastern seaboard, and
there were warnings of extremely high winds. Around 1:30 a.m., I was
still awake, even anxious about our windows withstanding the powerful
gusts that battered our home. My husband is a night owl, and he was
blissfully unconcerned about the turmoil outside. Wearing earphones, he
was engrossed in a good movie.
I chided myself for having little
faith, but the fear was strong. So I sat on the end of our bed and
prayed, first apologizing to God for being weak and asking Him to renew
my faith. Right away, I heard the words, "Fear not", and was comforted.
Just as I gave my thanks, I heard two loud cracks outside, followed by a
very loud thump. But I was not afraid. I went to the room where my
husband still sat, earphones now removed since he had heard the thump.
We looked outside and all we could see was tree. An outdoor check
determined that the house was sound, and amazingly, within minutes, the
winds abated.
It was a 40-foot blue spruce that had broken at a
fork and had fallen down alongside our house, neatly tucked between our
garage and garden shed, even missing our barbecue. A rose-bearing
trellis was broken, but the rose survived. The tree-removal man was
amazed that there was no damage, saying that we were very lucky. But of
course, I knew that luck had no part in it. God had shown His amazing
power with a huge exclamation point, right after reminding me what it
means to have faith. Then He followed it up with a lull in the storm--His wonderful peace.
In much the same way as earthly parents do, God our Father shows His children the way, gives us instructions, shows
us where to find answers, tells us that He will be there when needed,
and then sets us free to live our lives and make our own decisions. But
only God the Father can assure His children that He will fix the
problems we face. He will, He can, and He does. He asks only that we
trust Him. When we finally get it, He rewards us. God solved my problem
of anxiety over lack of faith by telling me not to fear. His reward was
illustrating--in real time, up front and personal--how even a major,
potentially dangerous event could still be controlled by Him so as not
to cause me harm.
"Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again, rejoice! Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:4,6-7 NIV)
Prayer: Dear Father Lord, thank You for understanding our
weaknesses, for forgiving them, and for tenderly and sometimes mightily
showing us how to correct them. In order for us to truly understand what
faith means, we ask that You continue to show us the way. Amen.
Deana Weyman
King City, Ontario, Canada
Thanks to
PresbyCan Daily Devotional
