Lessons From Ian – As Milton Approaches – Must Include Faith In Jesus

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(8) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—(9) not by works, so that no one can boast.’ (Ephesians 2:8-9)

After Hurricane Ian hit in late September 2022, I took stock of what went well with our preparations and what didn’t. I got more lighting (LED lanterns) to set around the house for those powerless evenings, for example, and devised ways to power more things than just our refrigerators and freezer. (A fan to create a breeze would have been nice, post-Ian.) We often learn by this method of learning what we lack in a given situation and correcting to ensure we don’t lack, or find ways to mitigate the lack, the next time.

The important lesson to remember in our ‘lessons-learned’, as we take stock of what worked well and what did not, is to also remember first and foremost that the Lord’s Grace and Mercy was, is, and will be upon each of us, before, during and after Ian.  Our plans and preparations must include God and go by His instructions, else they are meaningless.  Why should we prepare and plan if we do not include how we are to be obedient to God? 

The best thing that came out of the hurricane is the help neighbors were willing to help each other, perhaps not universally but overall.  One neighbor offered us to come fill our water containers via his hose, still working as he had ‘city water’ (we are on ‘well water’ – no power, no pump).  Another neighbor allowed people in the neighborhood to drive over his yard to get to a dry street so we didn’t have to drive on flooded roads.   We roasted a turkey the Sunday after the hurricane (something the generator did not like too well – lots of power to use an electric turkey roaster), and we shared it with our neighbors who have a couple of families living with them. 

God provides His hand on each of us, and though we may not all have escaped unscathed by Ian, with most of us suffering some damage, we did make it through the storm and all of us are still in our homes. The preparations we make should include provisions to share with others; those of us in areas outside of evacuation zones need to be ready to help those who may have to leave their homes, and ensure that their basic needs (food, water, shelter) are met.  I am thankful for Ian we were able to take in a couple of folks who needed to evacuate, and provide them shelter (despite the streets flooding around us) – all with the Lord’s hand protecting us!

Most importantly, our Faith survived the storm!  The Lord provides, and He can take away.  He may have taken away some things, perhaps a tree, a shed, a fence, some shingles or a pool screen; for others it may have been a car, an entire home, and for a few perhaps a loved one.  However, the Lord provides us with safety and security; He provides us fellow Followers who come to help us recover and provide the resources necessary to recover.  The Lord stands by to provide His Blessed Assurance as we await the power to come back on, and He gives us His wisdom for preparation – if we listen.  There may be inconveniences but we are never ‘Father-less’ as God is always with us.  Praise Him who is always at our side!