A Windy Post

I awoke in the early hours of the morning to the howling sounds of powerful winds blowing outside. The gusts were so strong not only were the windows rattling but the house in total was creaking as it was being assaulted by the wind.


As I lay there I couldn’t help but be mindful of all of the trees that fill our yard and neighborhood. Lots of trees. Lots of tall trees. Lots of tall rickety trees! A few years ago during such a wind storm my husband and I heard a very loud noise, one that we couldn’t really explain. He looked around and couldn’t see anything. A few minutes later while passing by our picture window however, he saw the cause of the noise. A mammoth pine tree just out front had toppled over due to a micro-burst and thankfully landed on another tree across the street sparing our neighbor’s house. The road was closed and after hours of work a team of men were able to take the tree down without injury to neither anyone nor anything.

My walk down memory lane was interrupted by another gust and the sound of something being shifted in the yard; I assumed the plastic playhouse. I began feeling a little uneasy and knew the thing to do was to pray and ask the Lord for His protection. I asked Him to keep us all safe, not only in my household but the neighbors as well and if it be His will that no one’s property would suffer either as I’m sure we’d be finding limbs littering our yards in the daylight hours.

As I finished praying and began trying, and I stress trying, to go back to sleep I knew that something was keeping me from returning to peaceful slumber. Although I had prayed and asked the Lord for safety I had taken that anxious feeling back. I had brought it to Him but didn’t leave it with Him.

It reminded me of James 1:5 although in context this is speaking of asking for wisdom and I wasn’t asking for wisdom or discernment, but for safety. Still though, I was asking God for something and we are told in the aforementioned verse to ‘ask in faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.’ It goes on to say that we should expect nothing when asking this way for we are double-minded. I love the picture of the surf, being a New Englander this is a great picture for me. The waves come to shore and then return to the sea, come to shore, return to the sea and on and on. When we pray in this was we come to the mercy seat of Christ and then return to the ways of the world. We go to the foot of the cross and then return to worry, doubt and sin. What a clear picture. I went to God and asked for protection and then went right back to worry. A wave of the sea I was and therefore could not fall back to sleep.

But thankfully, God did bring His words to mind and upon reflection I was able to pray with confidence knowing the God who can calm the sea and storm with just a word could easily provide protection.

Thank you Lord for the ultimate respite, the rest of faith!