No, I don’t mean Pastor Earl Foster. I mean Hurricane Earl. Having witnessed the flooding of Hurricane Agnes in 1972, I thought I had seen the worst a hurricane could muster. Then in 1987, I lived through a direct hit of Hurricane Emily when the eye pasted over the island of Bermuda in September. I saw the devastation that this natural fury could inflict upon an island. But it was the yearly or almost yearly pummeling of the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) that made me see that preparation for hurricanes are necessary. So here come Hurricane Earl.
I remember the hurricane that Paul faced on route to Rome. “When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the “northeaster,” swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.” (Acts 27:13-15 NIV)
While Hurricane Earl is days away from a potential strike or blow to NYC and Brooklyn Beaches, the authorities are telling us to be prepared. When I was in Bermuda, we “battened down the hatches” in that we secured the boats with enough line to allow for the rise and fall of the tides, we made sure that all things that could be tossed around by the winds were inside and secure, and then we stocked up on the things we needed for a few days without electricity.
Paul and the men on the ship did the same. “When the men had hoisted it [the lifeboat] aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.” (Acts 27:17-19 NIV)
Now I don’t know about you but there are days that I feel like I need to but ropes around myself just to hold it together. Fortunately these days are few and far between. Other times I need to let my anchor, my Jesus, hold me fast. Even in the middle of the storm my anchor holds. Jesus holds me and He can hold you! Then there are days I need to throw cargo overboard. No I don’t mean this because we are a nation and people of hoarders but there are things in my life that I need to get rid of. And not all these things are bad. Sometimes even ministries need to be set aside. I have a sister in the congregation who had to set aside a ministry for a period of time so she could care for her own soul.
So here comes Hurricane Earl. Are you prepared for high winds and lots of rain? So here come the hurricanes of life. Are you prepared?
Prayer: Father, protect us when the storms of life pass by us. Help us put more trust in our anchor who is Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Courtesy of Pastor Jonathan Bream
e100: The 100 Essential Scriptures:
This week: 2
Samuel 5:1 – 7:29 and Colossians 1:1-23
Next week: 2
Samuel 11:1 – 12:25 and 1 Timothy 3:1-16
