Where were you when that incredible storm hit on Wednesday afternoon? I was sitting in the doctor’s surgery and wondered what the dreadful noise was. When I had entered the surgery ¾ of an hour earlier the sun was shining. I had left windows and doors opened at home and, of course, our pets were securely OUTSIDE!

As you know, the rain was blown horizontal. Shopkeepers closed their doors and windows, people huddled behind them watching and waiting for the storm to stop.

The strength of the wind was quite frightening and all we could do was wait for the storm to subside..

Out of concern for our pets and the open windows, I ventured into the storm, and was drenched before I had walked 15 meters. The cats, contained within their “sheltered” run, were soaked and bedraggled … as was Merlin who couldn’t find much shelter on the verandah.

How swiftly life changes… from sunshine to storms! We think we have covered all of our bases and planned for every possibility but still we are caught unawares.

Surely it must have felt that way for the people of St George this week as they saw the flood waters rise and rise, way beyond what they have experienced before, and despite all their careful preparations homes have been devastated, livelihoods swept away. For some this will seem to be the final straw after years of drought and then a series of floods, which seem to escalating in severity.

At such times, there seems to be nowhere to go, no safe haven, no place to find hope or meaning, except in our Lord and God. For our part, in the midst of the storm, can we find the grace and the faith to say “your will be done”?

Blessings

Rev Shan