peace, be still

Last night we were finishing up dinner when suddenly our phones went off with an alarm: IMMINENT EXTREME ALERT! TORNADO WARNING. TAKE SHELTER NOW! Then the emergency sirens began to blare in full force. 

Middle of August is not a normal time for tornadoes in Alabama. Tornado season is generally in April and May, and we actually had a very mild season this year. I don't remember ever in my life not getting a heads up to at least watch out for bad weather later in the day. I knew there was the potential for thunderstorms, but they have been saying that all week and it hasn't rained once at my house. No one had heard anything about a tornado warning today. I was even outside 30 minutes prior and never would have guessed.

Fortunately my parent's live very close by and have a storm shelter, so we jumped in the car and immediately went over to their house. My phone was pinging with texts from local friends making sure we were safe. I seriously have some of the most considerate friends in the world. 

This one almost looks like a person with their arms outstretched. I hear and see storms and think of how powerful the Lord is. It always reminds me of the time Jesus was sleeping on a boat while a storm was tossing it all over the place, and the disciples were freaking out. Maybe some were even seasick. I certainly would have been. They wake up Jesus and basically say, "Don't you care that we are dying out here!? Do something!" And Jesus says, "Peace, be still." And the storm suddenly stopped. (And hopefully the imagined violently seasick disciple was suddenly no longer looking green. Maybe it was Judas.)

With all the natural disasters lately, the extreme flooding and wildfires, the earthquakes and droughts, it's almost like someone is trying to get our attention...

You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations. -Psalm 65:7 

You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. -Psalm 89:9 

He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed. -Psalm 107:29

It is pretty cool that these psalms were actually written hundreds of years before Jesus was even born. If the Lord can calm the storms, he can calm whatever worries and troubles us too. 

I woke up to another thunderstorm early this morning, but it seems to be passing. Now the crickets and frogs are out in full force. I love that sound.