Even Through a Flood
It’s hard to believe that just two weeks ago our home looked like lake property. Not lake front, where we overlook the lake, but in the lake!
Being dislocated can mean many things to many people. But for those whose homes were nearly destroyed by flood waters or any natural disaster, it means everything you’ve worked for now lies in shambles.
But there is a bright side!
God’s Word says weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. There is a season for everything; a time to mourn and a time to dance. God works everything together for good to those who love Him. He wants to give us beauty for our ashes and He will give us double portion for our troubles.*
Maybe that seems cliché to some, especially if you’ve had a tremendous loss. But it’s true, regardless of the depth of that loss.
God promises He will never leave us nor forsake us. That means He is where we are, goes through it with us and He never turns His back on us. Of course, while we were standing, watching the flood waters rise inside our home, it sure makes one wonder… BUT… like He promised, He stood there with me as I watched water seep in under my door and from under the walls. He was there with me as the tears streamed down my cheeks. He was there when I prayed and rebuked the rain, the water, and declared “no weapon formed against us shall prosper!”
I didn’t have to ask, “God, where are you? My home is flooding!” No. I never had to remind Him of what was happening to me. I knew where He was and that He also knew what was going on because I could feel His presence. It was so powerful. I felt as if I was cocooned like a newborn wrapped in a swaddling blanket.Today as I was walking back from the barn, which is currently where my bathroom is, I stopped and marveled at the view. There before me stood my home. In tact. Dry. Yet something else I saw was God’s promise. He never left me. He never abandoned me. He didn’t allow my home to be destroyed, not entirely. Instead, He provided a way for things to be repaired and made better.
My husband and son are partners in business. They are master carpenters. Jesus understands that. He too is a carpenter. So, although half my home flooded – we lost half the house, I still had the rest of my home. I still had the foundation. I still had the walls. I can still live in the half that didn’t flood while the other half is being repaired. God is providing ways for us to reconstruct and He is making it better than it was before.
That’s what He does. He takes our old shell and makes the contents new again. That’s how it is when we accept Jesus into our hearts. He takes our hearts of stone, our black, ugly, issues and sins, and He gives us a new heart, a new beginning, a new life; one that is better than the one before.
Because my house had a good foundation, the walls stood. Part of those walls did need replaced, but it was easily fixed by the master carpenters. Because of our spiritual foundation, our spiritual bodies also stood. Nothing was destroyed. We were rocked to our core, but we withstood and our sorrow over our home, our sorrow over the attack on our very lives is being fixed by the Master Carpenter.
My house may have got flooded, but it’s going to be okay. My husband and I are fine, we have each other. All my kids are safe; all my grandkids are safe and we are together. Everything else is material and can be replaced.
We have come through the waters and didn’t drown. We walked through the fires of a trial that could cause anyone to break, yet we didn’t. We just bent, but have begun to stand back up… even through a flood. We will be just fine. My house… well eventually it will be fine, too.
Besides… I was wanting a new bathroom.
Be Blessed!
Shelley
*For a list of the Scriptures referenced in this post, send an email to shelley@shelleywilburn.org with your request.
