This past winter, the winter of 2021, has been particularly harsh and unkind. Brutal winter storms and the continued Covid-19 pandemic have dealt terrible blows to our country.
One of the worst winter storms was Winter Storm Uri. This storm hit in mid-February. Winter Storm Uri brought record snowfall to the Northwest. The states of Washington and Oregon had the biggest snowfall in over forty years. Frigid temperatures hit the southwest. In Texas, the demand for electricity so that people could heat their homes caused the electrical grid to fail. Hundreds of thousands of people went without heat or electricity for days. Without electricity, indoor pipes froze and burst. Some people’s homes were flooded because of burst pipes. Property damage has been catastrophic and the cost of damages has been in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Another way the winter of 2021 has been unkind is the continued pandemic. Infections and death due to Covid-19 increased during the winter months. Some hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of sick and dying people. Thousands of families have lost loved ones to the disease. Although some of those who died from Covid-19 were already sick, no one can dispute the high number of deaths of those who were otherwise healthy. Covid-19 has been deadly.
What is my takeaway from this past winter? What can we learn from the bad things that happened?
First, these events are a reminder of how unpredictable life can be. When it comes to the winter storm, those responsible for the Texas power grid did not anticipate the severity of the winter storm. Concerning the global pandemic, neither the Center for Disease Control nor the World Health Organization had predicted the current pandemic.
We can never predict every possible disaster, but we can do our best to minimize the impact of a disaster by being prepared. Some people go to extremes to prepare for a possible disaster. They’re called ‘preppers’. A prepper is someone who believes a catastrophic disaster will happen in our lifetime. These preppers try to prepare for this disaster by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other survival supplies.
No doubt disasters will continue to hit. Does that mean that you should you prepare for a future disaster by stockpiling food and other stuff to survive? Should you become a prepper? . . . I’ll leave that up to you.
Another lesson we can learn from the past winter is that no matter how well we prepare, some things are beyond our control. The Titanic was built to be unsinkable, but it sank anyway with catastrophic results. No matter how bulletproof we try to make our lives, we simply cannot protect ourselves from every possible disaster.
Since we can’t predict every disaster nor can we protect ourselves from every disaster, should we live in fear?
No. We should not live in fear. We should live in faith. We can have faith that God is in control. Nothing takes God by surprise. He knows the future. In fact, God is in control of the future. God could have made our world, a world without danger. God could given us a problem free life, but in his wisdom, God allows for hardship and trials. These trials are part of his plan for our lives. Rather than creating a world without problems, God allows disasters, but He also gives us a place to hide when disasters strike. This hiding place is God’s peace. When disaster strikes, we can run to God’s hiding place of peace. The Bible says: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).”
Our only real protection is God. Even when the worst happens, we can run to God and find a place of peace and comfort. God doesn’t make us immune to trouble. In fact, Jesus tells us that our life will be full of troubles, but we can take courage because Jesus has overcome them all.
I don’t know what kind of storms may be happening in your life right now, but I do know that God wants you to trust him. Whatever problem you’re facing today, God wants you to find shelter in his love. Put your faith in God. God, and only God is a true rock and shelter from the storms.
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