Storms Don't Stop Angels

I enjoyed the privilege of visiting the Carolina's on last week. I saw some of the terrible devastation left by the storm Matthew as we traveled from place to place. Even last week, many of the lakes, rivers, and streams were still swollen, and had just begun to crest. Huge old trees rested on their limbs, with their roots out of the ground, after having been unearthed and tumbled by the strong winds that blew through.

I saw homes that were in urgent need of repair, many having their roofs blown off, and many others having suffered damage from falling trees. Yet, I also saw many homes that had only suffered minimal damage. In some areas you could still see the path left by the storm, and it was easy to see the direction the storm moved in as it rushed across the fields.

There were many areas that people were waiting for their electricity to be restored, people who had been without lights for several days. Every hotel, in every city was filled, there were no vacancy signs posted on the entry doors of each building. Land-line phone service was down, and there was little to no internet connections, for home or business.

I began to pray as I witnessed the broken trees, broken, homes, and broken lives. For three days I was continuous in fervent prayer, and on my last day there I fasted. The people that I met were the bright spot, for it seemed no one was down and gloomy, everyone was praising God, knowing that it could have been much worse. All of the people I met were saying the same thing, Black folk, White folk, Indian and Asian, all were giving God praise, and trusting God for complete restoration.

On Saturday morning, I sat on the steps of one of the oldest black churches in S.C., and gave myself over to prayer. Afterwards I met a soldier of God, an angel. I met a mother who had committed herself to ministering to men, women, and families. She had given of her own resources, and given her time to go to the people in the storm ravaged areas to deliver food and water, to pray, and to speak a word of encouragement and empowerment, reassuring each person that God is still well able.

On Sunday morning as we were preparing to leave and head home, I was privileged to meet the Pastor of the church where I had prayed on Saturday, and to my astonishment, he was only seventeen years old. He told me that he knew someone was praying, and he had been strengthened. He said that he understood the task at hand, and he was confident that God would give him a word for a broken, hurting people.

After services were over, we stood on the porch and prayed together, after we finished praying, I climbed in the car, pointed it toward I-95, and began the trip home. I was rejoicing in my spirit, driving down I-20 west, to know that "Storms Don't Stop Angels."

Storms do hinder us, slow us down, and sometimes sidetrack us, but as angels of God, sent on purpose, for a purpose, storms should not stop us. I learned in meeting two wonderful servants of God, dedicated to their mission, "Storms Don't Stop Angels."

I'm Just Saying