Devotion
Peace In The Midst Of The Storm
By
Martha Noebel
CBN Staff Writer
CBN.com
-- We have just finished riding out level 2 hurricane Isabel. The name itself means "pledge of God." The pledge or promise of God that I saw through all of this was that God was certainly with us during the storm. With all the devastation, power outages, fallen trees, loss of water, downed phone lines, etc., there were also many, many stories of God's faithfulness and love.
I was amazed as I heard the various stories. One family needed a new roof and didn't have the finances to pay for it. For them, the majority of their shingles blew away. Now the insurance company will help them pay for the new roof.  One lady went without power for 6 days and yet she felt blessed when she heard of the repairs that some of the people had to make. She was able to handle the heat and lack of power. God's grace was with her from beginning to end.
Others who may have had damage to their homes, but yet had electricity, were thankful they were able to stay cool. It was definitely a wonderful picture of God knowing what each one could handle. He promised to not give us more than we could bear. There were those that needed the time with their families. It was a definite "pulling together" time. Friends, families, and neighbors all pulled together, helping each other, encouraging and loving each other. One single mom shared how she played games in her living room with her two sons throughout the whole ordeal. It was a great time for them. As with most single moms and teens, relationships can become strained. They were able to talk, laugh, and work together as a team.
 This time of year is very challenging for my family and me. We have so many trees around our house. When the winds come with so much force, we are usually hit by at least one tree. So it wasn't a surprise to be scurrying around in the house trying to gather up the needed supplies when the big "thud" came. A large pine tree that stretched from a neighbor's house two houses away fell from their back yard, across the full length of the other neighbor's yard, and gingerly onto the front of our house. My neighbor who heard the tree falling told us of how slowly it fell. As he told the story, I could see angels holding that big old tree and carefully bringing it down so it would not do serious damage to our house. Praise God, we only had to replace a few shingles. Believe me -- that was a miracle. It could have been so much worse.
What has so totally amazed me is that the stories I have heard share the same sentiment. They told of how God gave the peace, strength, and ability to cope no matter the situation. I am thankful for the abundance of peace I personally felt. I had to work hard to clean up the debris in the yard, and was somewhat put out by the water damage to the bedroom carpet, but all in all, I felt very blessed.
The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace (Psalm 29:11).
Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints... (Psalm 85:7,8a).
The wicked say, "Peace, peace, when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14). But for the people of God, there is peace. Now I didn't say there were peaceful circumstances because there were more than enough things happening to prove different. What I am saying is that in the midst of all the "stuff," God brings a supernatural peace.
I am thankful for God's promises to us. His Word to you and I today is that there is a "peace in the midst of the storm." Martha welcomes your responses at dvtd2hm1@aol.com
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