Whatever Wednesday Writings...at Your Word I will!

“But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your Word I will let down the net.’” Luke 5:5

It’s that time again in Oklahoma, and I am not talking fishing. “That time” being severe weather and Moore, Oklahoma where I live is known as “Tornado Alley”. Born and raised an Okie I have been through many severe storms, the baseball size hail, winds that carry trampolines and small puppies away, flooding that makes you want to invest in a kayak, but F5 – mile wide – long tracking tornadoes…uhm…no thanks. I have seen one too many of these monsters.

The last tornado that hit us on May 20, 2013, shattered our community.

Period.

It was a devastating time watching parents bury their small children.

It was a frustrating time watching friends not receiving any assistance from the “so-called” disaster relief organizations.

It was an exhausting time as we worked to salvage personal belongings...BUT it was also a time the Lord taught me about His sovereignty and my need to trust Him in EVERY aspect of my life. 

These environmental storms make it hard to understand and grasp how His goodness could be displayed through such destruction and despair; but I HAVE to trust that He is still faithful, that His love never ends and with each sunrise we have new mercies. I HAVE to remember these truths, His Word, especially when tragedy happens and I don’t understand. I HAVE to remember that we live in a sin-cursed world and until Jesus returns and the new heaven and earth come, heart-wrenching tragedy will exist. I don’t like that.

My family loves a good thunderstorm. My family loves the adrenaline of watching a tornado (as long as it isn’t taking life and property). The incredible display of power is amazing, but this past week with all the predictions of the worst tornado outbreak in our area since 2011 had me more on edge than I ever would have expected. I don’t know if it was because we were so close to it last year with my husband and daughter bunkering down in a school that was only partially hit, or if it was seeing all the destruction day in and day out for months, or if it was watching friends rebuild their lives, or if it was just old age and wisdom knowing and understanding the magnitude and cost of the aftermath. 

Whatever it was I HAD to take those concerns to God and lay them at His feet. Remembering He is good all the time and that my family and my life are His. Remembering that He has ALL authority in heaven and on earth and that our steps are preordained by Him. I HAD to remember that He did not give me a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a SOUND MIND. I HAD to remember that perfect love casts out all fear and I HAD to rejoice knowing that I am perfectly loved.

I don’t understand why bad things happen to good people, I am not God, but I know we live in a sin-cursed world. I do know that God is in control and I will trust Him. I must remember to see the universe through the lens of His Lordship and know when tragedy strikes He is still there, He still loves, gives strength and comfort, laughter, peace and joy…and I love and trust Him, even in and through the storms of this life. Just as Job lost everything and suffered much, he states, “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21b) Job goes on to ask “shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10b)

So this week as I read in Luke 5, I learned a simple lesson. Just as Jesus’ future disciples had toiled all night to catch fish for their livelihood and finished with an empty net. All of my toiling and sweating over if the predictions would come to pass left me with an empty net of worry. I know, worrying does me NO good, Matthew 6:27, asks, “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" Not me. That is why I have this ring to remind me God values me and I am being taken care of by a King. I can't tell you how many times since I put this ring on that I have gazed down and reminded myself, "Am I not more value than the birds?" (Matt 6:26)

Back to Luke 5! At Jesus’ command, Peter responded in faith and was rewarded with a catch so big that the nets tore and the boat almost sank! While this scripture is used to illustrate the evangelistic impact the disciples would have, His Word which is alive can speak differently to us in our own life situations. That word for me - is being a doer and don’t just speak it, but believe it – live it. Luke 5 alludes that Peter doubted because he said, (my paraphrase) “Lord, we have been trying all night to catch fish , we are tired and they just ain’t bitten, in fact I think they are all gone! BUT “at Your Word I will”.

Lord, help me to take you AT YOUR WORD and to do as You say. Help me to remember You are trustworthy, You are sovereign and You love me more than the sparrows and yet you take care of them. Lord help me to keep my mind steadfast on you and as I do You will give me perfect peace through all the storms (environmental or otherwise)...  at Your Word I will, let it be!

“The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever.

The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace. “

Psalm 29:10-11

All those predictions for this last storm system may have missed our area, but there are others in Oklahoma, Kansas, Mississippi and Alabama who were in the direct path. I am confident they would covet our prayers as their long road of healing and rebuilding begins.