Strong Hope When Storms Rage

My daughter huddled under an interior set of stairs with her husband and his parents as Hurricane Harvey unleashed its fury outside. She and her husband left their home in Victoria, Texas, as the city issued a mandatory evacuation order. Now the ravages of the hurricane stretched aggressively toward their safe haven miles from the storm’s center. At 2:30 a.m. she sent a text: “Can’t sleep. Mom, you wouldn’t like this!”

This photo is a from my daughter's neighborhood as she went to check on her home.

The threat of tornadoes loomed; the wind tore shingles away from the roof; rain flooded streets and fields and inched closer to the house; thoughts of the complete destruction of their own home and property made her stomach ache with anxiety.

Facing total loss, what did they have to hang on to? As millions of people still face damage, displacement, destruction, and loss due to wind, rain and flood, what foundation can they stand on?

There’s no guarantee that everything will get better. No certainty exists that they’ll be spared from greater pain and loss. No one can tell them that the road ahead will be easy. Is there any encouragement or hope when storms rage?

God said in His Word:

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; . . . For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:2-3).

God is with us. He is our Savior. Those promises are lifelines when waves of worry and loss are washing us away. Even if all is lost, we’ll never be lost from the one who stared death down on the cross and showed it who’s boss when He rose from the dead.

What can we hang on to? What encouragement do we have? What foundation is there? We hang onto God’s promises because His promises are true. We are encouraged by calling out to the living and listening Jesus who cares about His children. We stand on the solid rock of God who is faithful and will never allow us to be separated from His love by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

And we do this together. As a community. We bear one another’s burdens and encourage each other.

My daughter made it through the storm. By God’s grace, her home was spared. In the middle of the terrible tempest, she held on to her only Hope. As the days unfold, we’ll help share that Hope with as many people as possible.

Loss takes many forms. Hope takes only one—Jesus.