These Are My JOTtings, Part #2

The Anxiety of Uncertainty

When something threatens life and livelihood, like a hurricane,
the internal stress levels can increase to off-the-scales emotionally speaking.

How do we prepare for a physical disturbance in the atmosphere?
Buying bottles of water and canned goods at the grocery store
meets the physical needs of the family,
but what of the emotional, psychological and spiritual needs?

As Christians my friends and I talk a lot about The Lord having everything under control.
Even though we know this is true, there's still a great deal of anxiety,
that must be dealt with when we come face-to-face with a life-threatening scenario.

Don't we have faith in God, even if we should die?
Well,...yes. We know the Who, and the What, and the Where of the Blessed Hope,
but like every other human, we don't know the How of the transition between this life and the next.

Will it be very painful?
Will the pain last a long time?
Will Jesus make each of us to see His Face in the transition?

The Scriptures declare, "...absent from the body,...present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

The unknown How causes even Christians to have to deal with the visceral fear of the Unknown.

Hurricane Dorian appears to be less of a threat to people in my part of the country
as it turns away from the coastline and dissipates
in answer to the prayer of my church this past Sunday,
but still the dear people of the northern Bahamas felt a storm like few else in History.

How do we explain that?
Often, the explanation leaves a great deal to be desired.
Does God care more for us in the States than He does the dear ones in the Bahamas?
Hardly, but how does that answer the disparity? Not very easily.

Here are a few things I know.

1. Colossians 1:16b-17, "...all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." The word, "consist" means "to hold tightly together, without any threat of falling apart." When I cook I talk about the consistency of the food. Is the food runny or firm? I think George Lucas was referring to this truism when he coined the expression, "The Force." In my humble opinion, he saw the holding together of all that exists as being an impersonal force. I, personally, believe this holding together to be the volition of the Person, known as Jesus Christ.

2. If Jesus were to relax His hold over Creation for scant moments, then I believe we would cease to exist.

3. How is Jesus in control of the destructive force of physical features, like hurricanes and tornadoes? Certainly, in contemporary times we can see, that He has given humans the scientific understanding to create equipment for early warning of residents to take cover before the arrival of such destruction. With hurricanes we usually have hours to days to flee to safer parts of the country. With tornadoes it is my understanding, that the prep time is at least minutes to the better part of an hour.

4. Do people still die in hurricanes and tornadoes? Yes. However, when people heed the warnings and take cover, consistently fewer people die today than in times past before warning systems were as advanced as they are today.

Ultimately, I believe the Lord has given a great reprieve to the state of Florida and apparently my state of Georgia as well by keeping the huge storm well away from the shore.

When we look we can see the Lord's Mercy, even in events like Hurricane Dorian and 9/11.
After all, if the first Twin Tower had instantly fallen outward rather than ultimately falling straight down, then the death toll would have been much higher. If the Twin Towers had imploded instantly, then the death toll would have been much higher. As it was many dear souls escaped from the building on the lower floors before final destruction was realized.

This can never mitigate the pain caused by at least five precious souls lost in the Bahamas over the past few days, nor for the thousands of lives lost in New York City on that terrible day in 2001, but the consideration of how populated both the east coast of Florida and NYC have been for many decades now, we must express gratitude for the lives who were saved in both of these cases.

I, personally, believe it is honorable to express that gratitude to a real Person, like the Lord Jesus.

May He prepare you for all natural disasters as well as for the final Judgment Day, that will come. (John 3:16)