Facing the Storm: Choosing Faith Over Fear

The place where we live, our home, our family is in the path of a storm. It is by no means the first storm we have faced – we live in Florida – but it is certainly the largest and strongest for our area. Windows have been boarded, outdoor furniture stored, supplies prepared, emergency management advice followed. Our entire county is under a mandatory evacuation order.

The storm is on the national news. It is on every social media feed, It is the topic of every text and every conversation. As it spins in the Gulf of Mexico, we are aware of its every movement as it increases in strength and moves ever nearer to our home.

Consumed by it, we have a choice – faith or fear.

I considered this as I listened to the morning update. The news is grim. Do I allow fear to control my life? Or do I continue to trust the one who controls the wind and the waves?

I turned in my Bible to Psalm 46, and this is what I read:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof (Psalm 46:1 – 3, KJV).

Once again, I am reminded of God’s oft repeated command, “Fear not”. My times, my family’s times, are in his hands. He is in control.

The next few days promise to bring uncertainty and trial to our lives, but he is still God and he is still in control.

We will be wise and prepare, but we will also be faithful and trust him with the outcome. He is faithful, and we can trust him no matter what comes – even if it is a hurricane.

He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved (Psalm 62:2, KJV).

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