Praising in the Storm

Since yesterday I have heard so many stories about the flood in Duluth. It's the topic of conversation everywhere. Now, at first I was thinking it was just a neighborhood, that happens from time to time if there is enough rain. But I started seeing people posting their facebook statuses about a flooding and that the rain won't stop. At first I was really skeptical and that people were over exaggerating, you know how they can be. Believe me, if you have ever been there, you will know the amount of hills it has, therefore, making it impossible to flood. But, they also said the Titanic was impossible to sink.

The more I heard about this, the more serious I realized this really was. I had seen countless pictures of this unprecedented event taking place. I couldn't take my eyes off them. This was evidence from my fellow city dwellers that our city "set on a hill that could never flood" is indeed.... flooding. There was only one word that came to mind, astonishment. I was astonished at the amount of water flooding the streets that I had grown up knowing this could never happen. I couldn't stop talking about it. My mind was on it all day. All I wanted was to be with my family and know that they were ok. This event got so extreme, it made it to national news. It was declared to be in a state of emergency. Roads are completely flooded, cars submerged under water. Stores, restaurants, and homes with water half way up the door, and still rising. Sink holes everywhere, engulfing cars as they collapse. Road immersions every which way, taking out bridges, and wiping out streets as we know it. Zoo animals escape and others die in the midst. Chaos everywhere. The whole city is turning upside down. You may even think the world is coming to an end.

Now, among the chaos, there are so many survival stories. Stories that leave you wondering how they survived. Like the boy in Proctor. He should have drowned. But he survived that journey in the water. If the man who saved him had not heard him, he probably would have. My dad even saved a toddler. I'm gonna brag on him a little bit. (Consider this my Father's Day present to you Dad) My dad is a city bus driver. He's the one that makes it possible for you to go to work, make it to your doctor's appointment, go shopping, or hang out at the beach. On this unfortunate day, he still had to work. But he found a stroller being washed away in the middle of the street. When he looked a little closer he saw a child was inside. So he used his common sense and ran after the kid. He says he didn't do much because the curb stopped it, but I still believe he was that child's hero that day. Who knows how long that kid would have been there if my dad had not taken action. You're a hero Dad whether you think you are or not.

I have also heard the infamous story of how the zoo animals got loose in Duluth. The polar bear got out of her cage. Some say she was just perched on a rock, never leaving the zoo. Others say she was actually roaming around Duluth. I don't really know, but the point of it is that they caught her and tranquilized her. The seals escaped, but they caught them way before they made it to the Lake, making it impossible to find them. You may look at this destructive event as just that, a freak of nature that is terrorizing a peaceful city. But how many casualties were there? None as far as I know.

Although this is an unfortunate event, destroying cars and sentimental items, there were no casualties. Think about it. God seriously has His hand on Duluth. There are many more stories that people survived when they shouldn't have. God knew that the city was not prepared for a flood. He knew how chaotic it could be. And He took care of it. People are joking about this and calling this Noah's Ark. People are getting their canoes and kayaks out and using the ATMs. :) My God took care of my city. My God answers prayers and He protected those who were not prepared and didn't know how to. In the midst of chaos, I have to praise God. I am completely astonished that Duluth could even have a flood and even more astonished at all the good in the midst of a storm.

I have had storms in my own life. I have had moments of freaking out and crying out to God and not believing that anything could be fixed. I have even told God that He did not have anything under control because my life was not going the way I planned. But just when I thought I wouldn't have a job, that I would be left to drown in my own debt, He astonished me by not only providing a job for me, but also earning enough to pay off the loans. How could I not love this amazing God who has my whole life in His hands?

I am reminded of the song by Casting Crowns "I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands You are who You are. No matter where I am." It keeps running through my head. Just when I think my world is going crash around me and never survive, He proves that He is yet again, God. He can take care of me no matter where I am and no matter what my circumstance. I just need to Be Still, Be Joyful, and Have Faith. I praise God in this storm.

These photos were taken from the facebook site taken by others in the city.

Hope

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. {Romans 8:24-25}

This verse has really been amplified in my life lately. It is so easy to shove off God's promises and get caught up in the worry game. If you don't know me very well, I like to have a plan. I am very organized and schedules and deadlines work fantastic for me. I like to even have a backup plan, to make sure I'm safe. Now this may be due partly from the fact that I am a girl. We do like to have order. It often comes to a point that I start telling God how my life should be run. I start giving Him a deadline and giving Him my agenda. But the thing is, it doesn't work that way. I don't know what is going to happen at the end of the road. But God does. It is actually irrelevant that we make plans at all because God is the only who sees everything anyways. God sure does know what He is doing. I often think He is out of His mind and then I stand corrected. 

I was starting to get frustrated being unemployed for so long. I would get bored and try to do something that would give me some sort of sense of accomplishment. I got used to having a schedule completely open. It was nice to hang out with friends whenever I wanted. Every day I prayed an pursued the promise God gave me. He wanted me to stay in Minneapolis for a reason, He wouldn't just leave me in the dust to fend for myself with an enormous mountain of debt. My God provides. Even at times I didn't think I would ever find a job, I still prayed and I still sought God's will. And He blessed it. It happened so fast and it'll take a little bit to get used to. I got a call from the temp agency with a job. They asked me if I could start right away. I said "Yes please." and off I went to my new job. In a snap my whole world changed.

In this time, I have been able to spend time with God and seek out His face. It has been hard, but I think I also needed the rest. He knows me better than I know myself. I can start planning and dreaming about all these wonderful and incredible things, but God knows me better. He has a far better plan for my life. 

Thank you Jesus for providing a job and taking care of me.