JimmyH
Puritan Board Senior
I'm 70 years old, and have lived the majority of those years in South Florida. I've sat through more hurricanes than I can count. When I was younger I probably didn't have the sense to fear them, but after Wilma in '05 I have a definite respect for the destruction they can leave in their wake.
So the 'disturbance' Dorian formed in the Atlantic basin and I was keeping an eye on the updates. Last year we had a near miss with a category 4 storm, a potential direct hit to Palm Beach County, and literally at the last hour it turned and went north and up the coast.
Dorian had grown to a category 4 storm, soon to be a 5, and we were in the 'cone of uncertainty.' Is it needless to say that I began to fear the worst ? A sense of dread at the potential result if it was a direct, or even a close land fall.
If you've never sat in the dark in a structure with the roar of a hurricane, the noise as the building itself strains to hold together against the buffeting winds, it is hard to imagine. This can last for hours, and is a trying experience.
Than there is the aftermath. The last two bad hits I had here, '04 & '05, I was without electricity for 10 days and 11 days. Those storms hit in October/November, so the ambient temperatures were bearable. Now we are routinely having 90-95 degree days.
So I was filled with fear and dread. I awoke mid week, the storm had not yet hit the Bahamas, and my thoughts went to my childhood when we would say Psalm 23 in elementary school following the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
I began to recite Psalm 23 as I had all those years ago and thought about what the clauses meant. I got my Bible and re-read it to see if I had the words right. I did. I didn't make a conscious decision to repeat the Psalm over and over throughout the day, but I found myself doing so. Not in vain repetition as the heathen do, but probably once or twice per hour. I found it truly comforting.
Within a few hours I had a feeling of peace within, and I knew, that whatever the Lord's will for me was, it was going to be alright. The storm came on and devastated the Bahamas and the surrounding islands. It was very like last year, in that it turned and went north, this time 100 miles east of us.
I said a lot of prayers in those days as the storm approached, but it was Psalm 23 that somehow really brought me to a peace that passes all understanding. All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So the 'disturbance' Dorian formed in the Atlantic basin and I was keeping an eye on the updates. Last year we had a near miss with a category 4 storm, a potential direct hit to Palm Beach County, and literally at the last hour it turned and went north and up the coast.
Dorian had grown to a category 4 storm, soon to be a 5, and we were in the 'cone of uncertainty.' Is it needless to say that I began to fear the worst ? A sense of dread at the potential result if it was a direct, or even a close land fall.
If you've never sat in the dark in a structure with the roar of a hurricane, the noise as the building itself strains to hold together against the buffeting winds, it is hard to imagine. This can last for hours, and is a trying experience.
Than there is the aftermath. The last two bad hits I had here, '04 & '05, I was without electricity for 10 days and 11 days. Those storms hit in October/November, so the ambient temperatures were bearable. Now we are routinely having 90-95 degree days.
So I was filled with fear and dread. I awoke mid week, the storm had not yet hit the Bahamas, and my thoughts went to my childhood when we would say Psalm 23 in elementary school following the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
I began to recite Psalm 23 as I had all those years ago and thought about what the clauses meant. I got my Bible and re-read it to see if I had the words right. I did. I didn't make a conscious decision to repeat the Psalm over and over throughout the day, but I found myself doing so. Not in vain repetition as the heathen do, but probably once or twice per hour. I found it truly comforting.
Within a few hours I had a feeling of peace within, and I knew, that whatever the Lord's will for me was, it was going to be alright. The storm came on and devastated the Bahamas and the surrounding islands. It was very like last year, in that it turned and went north, this time 100 miles east of us.
I said a lot of prayers in those days as the storm approached, but it was Psalm 23 that somehow really brought me to a peace that passes all understanding. All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
