When the Floods Come
Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The calm before the storm.
Waiting for the axe to fall.
All of these idioms hold a sense of anxiety and trepidation, waiting for something bad to happen. Maybe I’m not observant enough, but for me life’s storms arrive unexpectedly, a gut wrenching, brain jarring, blindside. My family and I were fortunate to vacation the week of the 4th of July. My husband is one of six siblings, and the whole family — twenty-one of us and my mom, who flew up for the week — packed into one house. We had perfect beach weather, great bonding time, and I even visited some historical sites with Nana and Grammie. I’ve never seen the beach so crowded on Independence Day, and the fireworks displays were everywhere we looked.
It was a great, relaxing week.
And then we returned to piles of work, laundry, an empty fridge, and looming deadlines. My mom’s direct flight back turned into Grammie’s big adventure in sightseeing at different airport terminals. I panicked after receiving a text that she was in LaGuardia, instead of Louisville, thinking the airline had lost my mother. But then, I turned on the TV to the most tragic news in Texas, and my problems were put in perspective. It’s heartbreaking to think of those poor girls at Camp Mystic and what the people in Kerr County are going through.
The flood hit the Christian girls’ camp after a fun week of activities and in the late-night hours following the July 4th celebration. It’s hard to understand why awful things like this happen. The devil doesn’t get credit for everything horrible, some tragedies are because the earth is groaning in birth pains waiting for redemption and Jesus’s return. Tragedies may be inevitable in a fallen world, but God promises to stand by us through the storms.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean being free from problems, but it does mean we never have to face them alone. He walks with us through the valleys and pulls us through this life, and in some instances, He guides us into the next. No matter what, He’s with us, sustaining us with His righteous right hand.
Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Matthew 28:20 “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Psalm 139:8-10, “If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”
Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.”
The last verse struck me. But the water did overwhelm—physically. Although precious lives were taken from us here on earth, I know with the blessed assurance of God’s word that God was with those girls and camp counselors in the flood, holding their hands, giving them peace in the deep waters, surrounding them with His love, and under the protection of his wings, carried them into heaven.
Lord,
Be with the families who’ve lost a loved one in the flood. Ease their pain and send Your Holy Spirit to comfort them and wipe their tears. Pour out Your blessings on the communities and rescue workers who are helping in the recovery. Let Your tangible presence be felt among the survivors, and may You restore what was lost tenfold.
In Jesus’s name, we pray.
Amen.