Matthew 7 tells the story of two men - listen to the words of Jesus:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and aacts on them, bmay be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 "And the rain fell, and the cfloods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house ; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not dact on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 "The rain fell, and the efloods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house ; and it fell -and great was its fall." Two men, two houses, rain, flood and winds. The stories are the same, except for the foundation. If our lives are built on the truth of God's word and a relationship with Christ, we can withstand even the most dire circumstances that may come our way with a deep trust in Him. Isaiah 41:10 says:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
This past Friday, some 38 people lost their lives, including 1 in the Faith Radio broadcast area, in the wake of numerous tornadoes which struck a number of different states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Tennesse, and here in Alabama. The Christian Post has published a report online of people who experienced God's protection in the midst of devastation. There was the story of the Kentucky pastor who heard the news of the storm approaching and yelled to his wife that they needed to take shelter in the basement of the church next door. They were joined by two church members who were cleaning the church and a neighbor. The building collapsed, but they were able to get out through a basement door. They sustained only minor injuries.
Todd and Julie Money of Scottsburg, Indiana fled to the basement of a friend's restaurant when a tornado struck. A school bus parked nearby tossed several hundred yards into the side of the restaurant. Todd Money is quoted as saying, "When that bus hit the building, we thought it exploded." Julie Money added that it was "petrifying."
And, in Central Alabama, an apparent long track EF-2 tornado affected a number of communities, including Jackson's Gap, where 1 person died, and Verbena, where the soccer coach at Chilton County High School lost his home, but experienced safety in a walk-in closet at their home. In fact, Dan Velasquez was quoted by Fox 6 in Birmingham as saying: "I thank God, I thank the Lord, Lord Jesus, for letting us make it through this, because the whole house is just unbelievable."
A lady in the Atlanta area was not so fortunate - she chose to ride out a severe storm there by going into a storm drain and ended up drowning in a torrent of water.
Tornado safety precautions can save lives - and when life's storms come, physical or otherwise, it's important that we recognize who our shelter is. Some people seek protection in their bank accounts, their material possessions, or their sense of invincibility - but we recognize that our true shelter is in the Lord Jesus. We live in a fallen world, and the rain falls on the just and the unjust, and it's important that we acknowledge that ultimately, He is the one in control, and we can place our lives in His hands - He has not promised necessarily to deliver us from the storms of life, but He does give us peace and strength in the midst of adversity.
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