Refuge in the Storm

I have received word that my family is safe following the devastating storms that ripped through the Southeast yesterday. Dozens of tornadoes touched down across the American South. My hometown in Ringgold, GA was hit very hard and the downtown area almost does not exist. The restaurants have been battered and torn. Schools are in shambles. Many people have lost their homes and some their lives.

The repercussions of such a disaster are felt across the Chattanooga region and may affect natives of Ringgold, GA for weeks, months, maybe even years to come. I am very sad for Ringgold and I grieve with people around the area. There have been numerous recent storms that have scarred places (Katrina, the tsunamis in the Near East, etc.). We never expected anything similar to these storms, anything remotely close, to hit our area. Yet, indeed storms swept by in an unbelievable way.

The Lord is with us in all things. Wherever we may be, he is there also. He has created a magnificent plan for us and gives us strength where we feel weak. He will carry us on and permit us to persevere in all things. In our grief, He is there to comfort and restore us. The Lord Jesus is our refuge in the storm of life. We clearly see that He is by looking at the passage of the storm on the Sea of Galilee and seeing how Jesus calmed the storm. Through our faith in Him, we may be comforted as we cling to the hope in Christ.

May we hold to the truth and hope in Christ, even as we grieve for the losses both in persons and in material from these storms that have ravaged the American South.