She moved her hand toward the plastered mess on her face. She discovered it was her hair. She gazed about stunned. Unbelievably the sun was shining as though nothing had just happened. Liar!
LuAnn stared around at the once pristine beaches now waist-deep in water. She wasn’t sure how far the waves of the tsunami had carried her, or where her family was, or if any were still alive.
She squeezed her eyes shut against the last thought, ignoring the pressure of the murky water swirling around her. Psalm 27 came to mind: “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?”
God, where are You now? A sense of comfort hit her, shocking her still more. God, I know You’re here. You kept me alive. Her peace wavered. But Lord, I am so scared, she shook from shock. Sobs welled in her throat, bursting forth just like the uncontrolled waves she’d witnessed moments before.
“The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?”
“God, You’re in control, even now, when it doesn’t feel like it. Please Lord, help me trust, slow my racing heart, give me clarity of mind to know what to do.”
“Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear.”
Those waves Lord, that wall of water taller than the hotel- it assaulted EVERYTHING! Despair threatened again, Please help me God!
It would be a day and a half until LuAnn could get to a make-shift clinic. Her wounds, which were actually quite minor all things considered, were bandaged, her broken leg set, and she was fed and rehydrated. Those days plus four more were the longest, most confusing days of her life.
As she wavered between sleep, wakefulness, and simply dazed shock, she tried to pray, tried to be positive. She tried to fight the fear inside her heart.
Six days after the tsunami, she awoke to the touch of someone or something in her hair. Her eyes opened to focus on her husband’s face, bruised and battered, but oh, so beautiful at that moment.
Her two children, bruised and still in that day’s clothing, now torn and filthy, chattered nonstop.
Her chest heaved as sobs could not be contained. God had saved them all!
“Though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.”
Months later she recounted her story. She reflected on her faith that horrible week. Then she wasn’t confident of anything except the fact that God was there. Her eyes told her everything was lost, probably even her family.
But as those waters rushed and darkened, she knew God was there.
LuAnn’s story is dramatic, yet not necessarily unique in the sense we have all experienced a tsunami of some sort. Oh, maybe not literal walls of water, but emotional tsunamis which prove no less heart-wrenching.
When we surrender our lives to Christ, He doesn’t promise perfect pages in our biographies.
Sometimes, we lose lovely moments.
Sometimes, we lose loved ones.
Sometimes, we lose lovable lives.
Yet, we choose if we lose the Lord. He promises to never abandon us (Deut 31:7)
We need to make the choice not to abandon Him.
LuAnn demonstrated how even, when we are hit hard, when we can’t feel God in the moment, we can cling to His truth, and His promises. When we need to, we can, and should, ask for faith, for peace, for the ability to trust.
Philippians 4:19 promises that God will supply all our needs. Even when we are desperately in need, especially when we desperately need Him like never before.