Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Blessings in the Storm

Amid the stories of heartache from the tremendous storms that have plagued our country I’ve also heard many stories of near misses and miracles. I believe whole-heartedly that God's hand of protection was on us during the storm and as a people we should be grateful for His mercy.

I know that Hurricane Irene was not "the storm of the century," but for a Virginia girl the mashing of an earthquake and a hurricane was enough to have me "rattled." While feelings of fear and anxiety took hold, most of all thankfulness to God flowed through me.

We all survived a lethal dose of wind and earth shaking power, but God’s hand of protection was on our community. I keep thinking that in times of "storms in our life," where are we rooted? There is such a parallel between the roots of a tree and our roots of faith. Worldly roots, like those of an old oak tree, can be uprooted from their source even after hundreds of years of growth. When we’re deeply rooted in our faith, we have a root system that will never be displaced.

As Paul told the church at Colosse, we are to let our “roots go down into him.” When we follow him and build our lives on him, our faith will grow. We will overflow with thankfulness even in our darkest most fearful times.

"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
-Colossians 2: 6-7

Today, Lord, I thank you for your protection for my family, the ones I love and my community. I thank you for your blessings of food and shelter even when we did not have electricity. I thank you for your mercy that you have shown us as a people. I also pray that the people around us will know that every tree that fell perfectly away from their home was placed there by you. Thank you Lord for your blessings in the storm.

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