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Topic: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER (don’t write about the song) (04/30/15)
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TITLE: When the Earth Shakes | Previous Challenge Entry
By Hannah Gaudette
05/06/15 -
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That was the day the wind roared. That was the day the thunder shook the foundations of the earth. That was the day lightening took trees to their deaths. That was the day that brought us to our knees.
Living in Maine takes on quite a few different meanings. For me it means preparedness. We make sure we are ready for power outages, floods, blizzards, and even droughts. We also prepare for black fly invasions and mosquito infestations. But no one ever prepares for a tornado.
No one even considers the possibility of one. But there always is just that: a possibility. And last summer that possibility began a horrifying reality for my family.
The weathermen had predicted this storm as it came up from New York: rain and some thunder, which is not a big deal. But it became a huge deal as it encroached upon our peaceful community. What had started as a severe storm warning turned into a tornado watch – then a tornado warning.
Winds roared, sending the rain in solid sheets west to east across the driveway. We could no longer see the neighbor's house. The thunder was louder than our neighbor's cannon firing in their backyard. A loud, piercing crack sounded from behind the house and we could tell the lightening had taken down a pine tree. It just missed our house.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned a peculiar shade of green which resembled the lime green in my bedroom. My dad kept telling us to get into the bathroom, but every fiber in my body resisted it. He had already talked about the root cellar. We trembled with fear as we gathered our pillows and blankets and scurried into the crowded bathroom, along with a ninety-two year old woman in a wheelchair. I remember being so afraid, I couldn't even pray out loud against the lump in my throat.
“Please . . . please . . .” only came out in a whisper. We were all praying. Not out loud, just to ourselves. We prayed that the tornado would not come here. That the storm would be over.
My heart raced and my body still trembled with fear, yet something in my soul was at peace. There was this . . . this certainty . . . this faith that God would calm the winds and the rain. And He did. We slowly began to venture out of the dark bathroom as the thunder seemed far more sparse. We sat cautiously at the bottom of the stairs and watched the storm as it thundered over us. The rain was less wind-driven and more steady. The thunder was less and further away. Little by little, the storm passed us by.
If there was a time when I thanked God more avidly, I can't remember it! The tornado had never happened. And when we turned on the TV a little while later, the red and orange boxes on the weather map were no longer over us.
The whole storm had taken about an hour – an hour of prayer. That hour of prayer became our shelter. It gave us courage. God can work miracles, for sure, because we saw one that day. Even the winds and the rains obey Him.
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Author's Note:
During that frightening storm, we never lost power. I find this completely and totally amazing. Think about it: just as we didn't loose power, we never loose Jesus. He will be by our side in every storm!
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So glad that you all survived and that it passed over you. You brought the topic to life in a big way!
I went through a similar one about eight years ago, and I was all alone in the garage with my dog. It came on suddenly, my husband was at work. I prayed and cried out loud to the Lord. Three tornadoes touched down in my area, and thank God no one was hurt. We never lost power either!
He is amazing isn't He?
Thanks for sharing.
God Bless~