My wife, Annette, and I personally witnessed a horrible hurricane in Florida. It destroyed homes, property, infrastructure and most tragically of all, it killed many people. Insurance companies call such events “acts of God,” but Jesus told us who is ultimately behind such destruction. John 10:10 (NKJV) states, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Living in a fallen, sin-filled world also produces disaster and damage because the earth rebels against sin, and evil people cause destruction.
Hurricane Ian was the first hurricane Annette had experienced. We had been traveling and just concluded our ministry meetings. We were now visiting my family in the Orlando area before heading home. Thankfully, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm when it touched down over our area. Wind speeds were projected to be approximately 75-85 mph. Florida has a lot of overhead power lines, and they often lose power during a bad storm. We prayed and asked the Lord to keep the power and water working, and He did. That’s our God!
The first and most important decision we can make during an unpredictable situation is to inquire of God. What is He telling us to do? Second, listen to the news reports and warnings from government officials. This is called seeking wise counsel. Then, do as you feel led, either vacating your location or preparing to stay.
While this kind of uncertainty should cause us to seek the Lord for guidance, we should make decision every single day to acknowledge God so He can direct us as Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us. These two Scripture verses are packed with wisdom and instruction:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (emphasis added).
It is definitely an experience to try and sleep through a hurricane. The wind was loud and blowing so hard. The rain was coming down in sheets, and for many people, there was a real danger of flooding. Before bed, Annette felt led to move the rental car to an open area away from the large oak tree in the front yard. Thankfully, we did because a large limb broke off during the night and would have damaged the car.
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The Holy Spirit usually speaks to our hearts with peace or no peace. When something is wrong, we’ll get an inner check, unrest or a terrible sense we are missing something important and need to pray. Annette just had the thought “Move the car,” and so we did.
While we depended greatly on the Lord in those harrowing days, we always pray and thank God for guiding us and for keeping us in His perfect will. The experience was a reminder of how much we need to depend on God, most especially when we are faced with perilous situations. If we stay in relationship with Jesus and take the time to pray and read the Bible, it will become easier and easier to sense God’s direction each day.
God is guiding us, sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously. No matter what is happening around us, when we seek Him first, we can turn to Him in faith for clarity and protection.
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Bill Wiese is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “23 Minutes in Hell,” the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife, Annette, founded Soul Choice Ministries in late 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries, please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/
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