Before Irene

“The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring…”

Irene is arriving. Hours now lie between what is now and what will be then, then, after the hurricane hits, however it hits. There is all kinds of speculation and predictions, fears and lack of fear, within this region, country, and perhaps world.

There is a sense of anticipation unlike others I have felt before. Part of it is the reality that I’ve never been around a hurricane before, and this one will likely be significant. Moreso, it seems to be the feeling of anticipation of God’s moving, of God’s sovereignty and timing of this hurricane coming when it is (the first hurricane to directly hit NYC in over 100 years), and that John and I are here when we are. I believe we are here for such a time as this. NYC is such an epicenter of the world, seemingly indestructible and invincible, but in times like this, incredibly vulnerable. In many ways, I think it is a complex icon for the human heart. Yet, God is “…mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!” (Psalm 93:3-4)

I’m praying that our hearts will be sensitive to these circumstances and how God wishes to use them. I pray we will be ministers of His grace and gospel throughout it all. We do not know what the next 48 hours look like, and those 48 hours determine a lot of what the near future looks like here. But I know the Lord, and I know He will never change in an uncertain future, hurricane or not.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! 
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 146