Shelter from the storm

It is that time again here in Florida and other parts of the US where we go over our lists, check our preparation and make sure we are ready for a potential hurricane.  Other parts of the country do this for other weather-related events, while others live in this state of mind all the time, just waiting for an overwhelming emergency.  To all of us, I say be prepared for whatever may be coming your way. 

It was September 28, 2022, when Ian invaded our area, and by mid-afternoon we were without electric and cell service.  We had prepared by stocking up on water, batteries, and other essentials.  I have a two-page list that I print out each April 1 to walk through to make sure we are ready.  But unless you have lived without electricity for a week or more, there is really nothing you can do to be prepared mentally and emotionally to deal with this deprivation.  Sure, you can have lanterns and generators (and their noise) to run the lights, but the feeling when electricity is restored is hard to describe.  The lifting of a pressure, a weight you had been living with, is gone, and there is a lightness to your outlook.  As the electricity returns, hope springs anew!  There are still loads of recovery from the storm, but it is easier once the possibilities of electricity have been restored.  And that first shower, oh, it feels so good!

The damage from Ian was tremendous (and far, far worse south of us), but honestly, the damage from any physical storm pales (almost non-existent) in comparison to the damage of the sin and darkness when we are separated from God.  There is no preparation that can protect us in the storms of life when we are in the darkness of sin and the storms of consequence.  In the midst of the consequences of sin there is no hope outside of Jesus.  There is nothing we can do, earn, or purchase to deal with guilt and shame.  We all need the weight and pressure from our sins removed.  We all need the hope of forgiveness.

I remember that first Sunday after Ian as my wife and I drove to church.  I had been out and seen the damage and devastation; she had not.  She was overwhelmed with all she saw, just as I was the first time driving through the streets.  Yet, when we turned down Education Way on the way to the church, and there in front of us was the parking lot of the CTC filled with trailers from Salvation Army, and our church’s parking lot filled with Florida Baptist Disaster Relief, she said to me, “This is what hope looks like.”  And it was physically for so many in our area.  They brought meals, supplies, and tarped roofs. They cut up and and moved down trees and so much more.  Hope for sin is found in looking to the cross where Jesus died, and the empty tomb from which He rose.  There is hope there for forgiveness and eternal life if you will but trust Jesus.  

So prepare for the hurricane season of 2024.  And more importantly, be prepared for the greatest storm in any of our lives, our death and subsequently standing before a holy and just God who has made all the preparations for you if you will but trust Him alone.  Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor