Scary Spring Storms

By Sandy Ditoro

 

You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;... (Job 30:22)

 

I was talking today with our daughter, Sandy, who lives in Texas.  She told about the horrible storm they had last night that knocked the power off for a couple of hours. Later an email came from our other daughter, Nina, also in Texas: “We had more crazy rain and thunder and a little hail. I heard some parts fairly close to here had tornados. Fun!

 

Billie told me of a violent thunder storm they experienced in Kentucky a couple days ago.  Not long ago someone sent in a prayer request for a family who had been injured when tornadoes passed through and I think that location was Tennessee or Missouri.

 

Spring storms can be terrifying.  Nearly everyone who lives in the south and parts of the southwest can tell chilling stories about tornadoes that have passed through their community or a neighboring community.  When I was a child when a bad storm was approaching one family in our area would hide under the big bogue bridge until the storm had passed. A lot of families in areas considered “tornado allies” seek protection in storm shelters.  We all can remember the story of certain girl from Kansas, named Dorothy, who didn’t quite make it to the storm shelter in time. 

 

I have a recent fond memory of sitting in our night darkened living room with our daughter, Nina, watching a stormy light show. The lightning bolted violently across the sky while thunder rolled in the distance.  As we watched we thought about God.  I recalled  verses I had recently read in Psalms and other places in the scripture about God’s presence and  active participation in storms. 

 

How do you wait out the thunder and lightning packed storms of Spring?  Billie told me that during their storm she took BJ to the bus stop and waited for the bus to come......and she prayed.

 

Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered. For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man. Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, the thunder from His canopy? Look, He scatters His light upon it, and covers the depths of the sea.