The Night the Wind Blew

"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." Matthew 7:25 (KJV)

"Tornado warning!" I called to Bill who was relaxing at his tinkering bench in the garage.

As you know, a "Tornado watch" is posted when the weather conditions are right for the possibility of a tornado. A "Tornado warning" means a twister has been spotted in the area.

So . . . we spent another Indiana late afternoon in the basement. Thank the Lord for the "garden level."

We have been through the Palm Sunday tornado in Elkhart County Indiana; we saw the Eaton, Ohio tornado from our back yard in Germantown, Ohio; and, on May 30, 2012 a small tornado took the roof completely off our little country church in Whitley County Indiana (Washington Center UMC). We respect the wind.

When we got up this morning, we found many broken and downed limbs from our weeping willow tree all over our back yard. A tragedy or a blessing? Those branches were overdue for trimming. The wind did it for us.

Are we assured that nothing bad will ever happen to us? Of course not. But, our soul is claimed and owned by the creator of the wind . . . and we are safe upon the rock on which our soul is grounded. The wind will blow and the house may be damaged; the body may become injured or ill, but that which belongs to the Lord will be safe in His mighty hands. Let us pray:

"Father God, creator of the pruning wind, I praise your holy name. When you have trimmed me and shaped me and re-created me, then you can use me, for I know I will ‘fall not.’ I thank you for never giving up on me. For this day after the wind, I ask that I may be used by you a little more than the day before, but I realize not as much as later. Only you know the time when your creation in me has knocked off enough raw edges and sufficient dead wood that I will not scrape splinters on others. Forgive me when I race ahead of you, so eager to serve that I don’t do the warm-up necessary or yield to your pruning sheers long enough to be of service. I pray that you will use me, in spite of myself, in ways of your choosing, that you, and only you may be glorified. In the name of your son, my savior Jesus Christ I pray. Amen"

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Copyright 2013 Doris Gaines Rapp

Join me: Book signing at the Bookmark Book Store on Anthony in Fort Wayne, Indiana next Saturday, November 23, 2013 from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. Then - we’ll celebrate Bill’s birthday!

Website: www.dorisgainesrapp.com
Contact: dorisgainesrapp@gmail.com