The Coming Storm

It is Tuesday evening and I am sitting at the computer listening to a loud generator give me the chance to write this, and waiting for the power to come back on.  Monday night at 9:00 p.m., my husband rushed inside, hollering for me to close up all the windows as we watched the air turn yellow from the huge pollen cloud the winds were picking up.  

A huge storm was blowing in, bringing with it winds ferocious enough to snap two trees on our lot in half.  One of them partially supported a big swing my husband had hung last year for our grandbabies.  Precariously hanging in the top of the other support tree, it will have to come down to prevent injury to the kids.  The other tree, another 3-foot thick lodge pole on the north end of the lot, snapped in two like a flimsy toothpick.  The loud crack that accompanied it sent my husband flying to the window, fearing it was one of the many that surrounds the large snow roof our 5th-wheel is parked beneath.

As the sky grew darker and the lightening flashed around us, the power sputtered a few times, then went completely out.  We watched as the horrific winds whipped the towering trees in 20-30 foot circles.  We were amazed that any of the hundreds of trees in the old subdivision were able to withstand the onslaught.  I thought of the birds that were perched in them, clinging with all their might to the branches.  If they failed to hold on, the wind would sweep their tiny bodies far away from the small bit of safety their home provided.  Our dog cowered beneath our feet, the roar of the wind and the booming thunder terrifying her.  An occasional pat on the head and our soothing voices brought brief solace to her as the storm raged on.

Although we have experienced similar storms in intensity in our mountain valley, this particular one stretched on much longer.  Almost an hour later, the winds finally subsided and the rain began to fall, washing the pollen and dirt from the air.  Opening the door, I breathed in the rain's scent and the cool air brushed across my face.  I was thankful for the storm's end.  In the morning we would survey the damage it brought and, hopefully, the region-wide power outage would be remedied.

Over twenty six hours later on a Tuesday evening, we are still without power.  According to Idaho Power's phone message Monday night, the damage the storm created covered hundreds of square miles, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.  Over 18,000 people in the small communities that make up West Central Idaho lost power, and only about half of them have had it restored.   Although I often wish we were back in a house of our own, there are definitely advantages to living in an RV, especially in circumstances such as these.   I cooked dinner for our son and his wife and four children tonight, and the kids had warm showers and jumped into their pajamas.  It was reassuring to them to know that amidst the mess the storm had created were small comforts to make them feel safe.  As long as our propane, our now half-filled clean water holding tank, and the drinking water bottles I filled today hold out, we are better off than many.  I know there are people feverishly working to restore the power we so take for granted and that, eventually, it will come back on.  But I am still praying for patience.

In light of the temporary discomforts we face when man-made electricity is taken from us, I am reminded of a far greater Power that can never be taken away.  He revealed Himself in the storm last night.  It was a reminder to me that God is greater than anything man is capable of accomplishing.  Perhaps last night's storm was God's way of once again revealing His almighty power to us; a reminder He is still in control of the universe and its elements (Isaiah 40:12-31).

I think God is working overtime in one last attempt to bring men back where they need to be - in awe and worship of our Great Creator.  The disasters that have recently come upon the world give credence to this belief.  His ways are unknown to us.  His majesty is yet unseen by us.  We only get a glimpse of His might and strength from time to time.  But one day, He will reveal to all mankind His almighty and glorious power.  There will be no mistaking it when He does.

The storm that is brewing and waiting in the heavenly realms will be unequaled to and unlike any the world has ever witnessed  (Jeremiah 25:32; Matt. 24:26-29; Luke 21:25-28; Rev. 6:12-14).  It will be a storm to end all storms.  And riding on the clouds will come our Lord, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  His voice will be carried on the raging winds to every corner of the earth, and His omnipotence, His power, will at last be known to all men (1Thess. 4:13-18; Phil. 2:9-11).

Are you ready for the last and great coming storm?  Are you prepared to face the Bringer of the storm Who will test the faith of each and every person on earth?  If not, be forewarned.  The storm is coming and it is coming soon.  Only this time, no power on earth will be able to stand against it and no power known to man will be able to subdue it.  

The roots of sin will be ripped from the earth and cast into the fire reserved for them.  The rains of righteousness will cleanse the earth of all depravity and sinfulness and the darkness that now covers the earth will be replaced by the glory of Christ's light.  And when the storm is at last over and all things are renewed, our Lord Jesus will reign forever and ever (Rev. 21:1-21).

As unprepared as we were for the storm that hit our Idaho home, we are ready for the coming storm that will sweep across the entire earth.  It will be the final one, great and terrifying to all who have not embraced Jesus Christ.  

Have you readied yourself for the last, great storm God will bring upon this earth?  Are you prepared for what it will bring? I pray you have and that you will join those who will be spared from the horror the violent winds carry with them as they pour out God's wrath upon the earth and the men who dwell upon it.  I also pray you are ready for the judgment that follows.  If you have not yet done so, yield to the call of the Holy Spirit, repent of your sinfulness, and embrace your Savior and the salvation He is offering you - for Christ is standing and preparing Himself for the coming storm.

(It is now Wednesday, 1:33 p.m., almost 40 hours after the storm, and the power was  finally restored to our small community about 30 minutes ago.  Praise God!  I am thankful for His ever-faithful care, protection, and providence!)