Hurricane Florence Batters the Carolinas

September 17, 2018 at 5:15 am 1 comment

The remains of Hurricane Florence continue to pummel the East Coast. The devastation already done by the monster storm is startling. The death toll seems to rise nearly by the hour. Nearly one million are without power. And by midday Saturday, North Carolina received over 30 inches of rain from the storm, shattering the previous rainfall record of 24.06 inches, set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

As the storm sluggishly dissipates and the recovery begins, we are once again left grappling with the chaos that is endemic to a creation disordered by sin. The pictures pouring in of wind-battered beaches, tree-split homes, flood-ravaged communities, and terrified-looking residents speak for themselves. The cleanup and rebuilding process will most certainly be long and arduous. This summer, I vacationed in Port Aransas, Texas with my family, the spot where Hurricane Harvey came ashore last summer. The condo complex at which I stayed still had whole buildings that were missing their roofs. The amount of work yet to be done in that family-friendly beach town is simply more than contractors can complete in a timely manner. I have a feeling the coastal towns of the Carolinas will be enduring much the same experience.

When Jesus’ disciples find themselves in the throes of a massive storm of the Sea of Galilee, they come face-to-face with the chaos – and the danger – of a disordered creation. As they are battered by the wind and the waves, they cry out to Jesus, who is in the storm with them, “Lord, save us” (Matthew 8:25)! And He does. He “rebukes the winds and the waves, and it is completely calm” (Matthew 8:26).

The disciples’ simple and desperate prayer is still a plea worth making, even as Florence passes. The Lord can still help, even after the wind and the waves have been stilled and the floods have receded. He can give us empathy for the injured and a resolve to rebuild. And so, we pray that God would provide us with all that we need during a time that is fraught with exhaustion and heartbreak.

J.I. Packer, in his book on prayer, quipped that we should ask God “what we ourselves might need to do to implement answers to our prayers.” As the Carolinas begin the process of rebuilding, this is certainly a question worth asking. We can make donations to the victims. We can help our loved ones – and, perhaps, even strangers – rebuild. And we can refuse to forget that, long after the headlines of the hurricane fade, the need will continue to be real.

For all the damage that Florence has done, we must never forget that Jesus was in the storm, lovingly caring for all those who suffered – and continue to suffer – from the storm. Jesus does not always stop storms, but neither does He shirk them. He stands in them with us. And He’s a good guy to have when you’re in the wind and the waves.