As someone who lives in South Carolina, I’ve had some run ins with Hurricanes. The good news is that we live 90-100 miles from the coast. That distance does a lot to lessen the force of the winds. The rains depend on many factors but the chance of flooding is always worst at the coast.

My prayers go out to the Floridians who bore the brunt of Ian on the mainland. I honestly can’t imagine being a resident of storm-prone islands in the Caribbean. But I certainly understand the desire to live on those beautiful beaches.

My experience growing up was with storms that moved through Wisconsin. Bad storms often produced flooding but the greatest concern was tornadoes. I have not personally seen a tornado though I have seen powerful tornado spawning storms. There was strong damage around where I lived, but the devastation missed the homes my family lived in.

In that respect, you can certainly call me blessed. Having been a follower of Jesus and Jehovah God for most of my life, I believe the protection came from Him. I live my life 1) preparing; 2) trusting; 3) thanking.

To say you trust God but never prepare for storms indicates you don’t understand the world we live in. There are plenty of people who genuinely trust God and experience great devastation. The Bible addresses this and says plenty about preparation.

But once the preparation is completed (to what ever level you can accomplish it) and the storm comes, trust must take over. Jesus taught about trust. He said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” [Matthew 6:25 ESV]

It’s hard to get the big picture on trust from one verse, but the Bible is filled with such reassurances. After all, if God is almighty, all powerful, and can control the elements, then His love for us should give confidence that He will care and protect us.

The aftermath then leads to thanking. That is hard when your house is in rubble or the family photos have been drenched in a flooded basement. But if life is more than the stuff that we utilize, including food and clothing, simply being alive to see the rubble says you have reason to be thankful.