Let God Handle It: Disasters

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Once upon a time there was a man who lived near the sea. "Evacuate!" the local officials warned one morning. "A big hurricane is coming!" "God, deliver me from this storm," the man prayed. 

That afternoon his next door neighbor knocked on his door. "Come and go inland with us," the man invited. "No, thank you," replied the man. "God is going to deliver me."

The hurricane came. Water poured in from the sea and the sky. The trees bowed in the wind. The man watched from the living room as the water encroached upon his home. 

That night another knock rattled the door. A man in a boat offered to take him to safety. "That's not necessary," said the man. "God can handle this."

Morning broke to find the man perched on his roof, water all around him. A helicopter pilot spotted him and lowered a basket to take him away. The man waved him off shouting, "God's going to deliver me!" Reluctantly the helicopter pilot pulled away. 

The man drowned. 

When he stood face to face with Jesus in heaven, the man was perplexed and asked the Lord, "Why didn't you deliver me from the storm?" "I tried," said the Lord. "I sent your neighbor, the man in the boat, and the pilot. But you wouldn't hear my call."

No matter what our obstacles might be, God wants to help us conquer them. Yes, we absolutely must trust him. But we must also use good common sense and move in the direction He leads us. And no matter what the outcome, we must praise him for his leadership in our lives.