Today, my family and I are hunkering down while awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Ian. The patio furniture leans against the house, the bottled waters line the shelf, the adult boys are back in their old rooms for a night anyway.
If you live outside Florida, The Hallelujah House covets your prayers for our families and our state. Barby Molnar, Prem Adams, Tracey Carter, Liz Hammond and I are all located in the Sunshine State.
Last week, I posted a podcast titled “Is Jesus in Your Boat?”
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this podcast, it is relevant to what we are facing in the next couple of days. You can access it at our podcast link, located on the homepage.
This morning, I’m reminded of a story in I Kings 19: 9-18. Elijah felt exhausted, discouraged, and fearful.Jezebel had already killed many of God’s prophets, and Elijah feared he was next on her list, so he hid in a cave. God asked Elijah What was he doing there, before instructing him to emerge from the cave and stand atop a mount.
And he said, “go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” I Kings 19:11-13a (ESV)
Too often, we become fearful of the storms, rather than the One who can silence them. Too often, our minds grind over our situations, rather than focused on the One who can carry us through them.
When my boys were little, I read them this passage in I Kings, while sitting at the kitchen table. I asked them, “Where was God if He wasn’t in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire?”
The youngest of the three began bouncing in his seat, “I know Momma. I know! God was right beside Elijah. That’s how Elijah heard him whisper.”
A thought to ponder this morning.
But, it gets even better. We have something Elijah didn’t have.
The Gospel.
If you’ve made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, He’s even closer than that. He’s taken up residence inside you.
If you’ve found yourself fearing the approaching storm, I challenge you to stop all the bustling about and turn off the weather channel for a bit. Today, take a moment to quiet yourself before God. Allow Him to still your shaking hands, calm your pulse, and quiet your fears.
He stands  right there with you. He faces the storm too.
Prayers from our House to yours.
We’ll see you on the other side of the storm.
Tammy Carter Adams is the founder of The Hallelujah House and cohost of The Hallelujah House podcast. She resides in Orlando, Florida with her husband and four children, who all love a good storm.