The week before this tornado hit, we felt like we'd been hit by a financial tornado. As you know John and I are children's entertainer. For at least the last year, we have also been training young people to entertain with balloons (table to table) in restaurants. About 6 or 8 months ago, I showed up to Bob Evans restaurant on Wendover for my "gig" as a balloon artist - only to find that there was no more Bob Evans. The chain closed the location with no notice. I was greeted by wire nuts sticking out of the ground where the Bob Evans sign had been and windows boarded up and doors chained shut. Due to the local economy, the store had closed. The week before the tornado, 2 more restaurants discontinued the entertainment and more "promised" restaurants declined new contracts based on the economy. Suddenly, we lost 25% of our income. The challenges of booking more restaurants seemed impossible and daunting. Bills kept coming in, but no more restaurants at the moment.
The day after the tornado, I was reading my Bible and praying. I was thanking God for His protection and praying for His provision. He let me know that His protection from the tornado was a sign to us that He would protect us from destruction of any kind. He reminded me of the school children who were in the hallways at school, curled up against the wall for protection from the storm. He said, when storms come (physical, financial, emotional, etc.), that we are to trust in His protection. Just like the children who went to the hallways and curled up close to the wall in the storm, we are to pull in close to Him when danger comes. He gave me this verse:
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]
2 I will say [b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."
So now, when worries settle in, I think of the tornado and the school children and I go to my Heavenly Father in prayer. As I pray, I can feel His strength and His love. I know that I love Him and that I am His child. I know that He cares for me and will protect me and keep me safe. Even if things around me were to be destroyed, I know that His presence is with me - I am not alone. My husband, my family - all are in His care. Who better to care for me than the maker of heaven and earth? Who else would I go to in the storms of life than the one who commanded the wind and sea to be still and it obeyed? Who else would I trust besides then one who gave His life for me? No one. Jesus is the only one for me!
If you are going through a "tornado" today, try putting your trust in Him. Pray and ask Him for guidance and to reveal His presence in your life. You will not be disappointed!
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