As many of you know, tornadoes ripped through parts of Oklahoma and surrounding states last night leaving devastation in the wake of its path. I had the opportunity to report on some of the pictures coming in to the news station where I work. After sifting through the hundreds of pictures of mangled trees, cars that had been thrown about like toy trucks, and leveled homes, this picture was a bright spot in the midst of all the darkness. Along with the picture, the viewer put a caption that read, "This flag showed up after the storm had past. The tornado put the flag this way." When I read the caption, I immediately thought of God's promises and the little ways He shows us He is still here and in control.
On my drive home, I thought about Noah and the ark and how that story mirrors what happened last night. God brought the mighty flood to the land and wiped out everything. There were no foundations left, no survivors. We're talking totally obliterated. The floodgates of Heaven were opened for forty days and forty nights and the land suffered greatly. After the forty days and forty nights, the rain stopped and the earth dried up in 150 days. Noah came off the ark and built an altar to the Lord and when God saw this, He made a covenant with Noah, promising to never curse the ground again and destroy all life. The sign of this promise was a rainbow in the sky. Genesis 9:13-15 says, "I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh: water will never again become a deluge to destroy all flesh."
Did you catch it? In verse 14 it says, "Whenever I form clouds..." God forms the clouds and creates the storms. God created those tornadoes yesterday and controlled every rumble of thunder and every lightning bolt. That is the awesome power of God. Even though through those storms there is sadness and destruction, there is also a peace that comes from knowing, God is in control of everything. It reminds me of the song I used to sing as a little girl. "He's got the whole world in His hands. He's got the whole world in His hands. He's got the whole world in His hands. He's got the whole world in His hands." God holds the whole world and controls all that happens, including the people in it. Though there is despair today, we can rejoice in the promise He has given us.
The Bible is full of promises God has given to all believers. In John 15:18 it says, "I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you." Another promise we can hold on to as believers is that he is coming back for us! What joy there is in that! The God of the universe, that created the earth and controls the oceans and tells every lightning bolt where to go loves us enough that He died on a cross to save us and has promised He is coming back to get us. I have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and hope when I read John 15:18.
When I reflect on all God has promised us, from the covenant with Noah and the sign of the rainbow, to the promise He is coming back for us, I can't help but be hopeful for what's to come. Today, as we here in Oklahoma and in so many other states pick up the pieces of what's left after the storm, we can forge ahead knowing that God has never broken a promise and He isn't about to start now. Just like the rainbows that light up the sky after a shower, the picture of that perfectly placed flag stands as reminder to me of the hope we have in the Lord, even after the storm. Check out the song below and bask in the joy of knowing God controls it all. He's got the whole world in His hands.
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