God Is in Control

Photo credit: Free-images.com

My dear mother-in-law often said that God uses the weather to remind us that He’s in charge. Her words rang true on a recent camping trip that Ted and I took. On Day 1, the wind fought us setting up our tent. Two days later the heavens dropped so much rain and wind that many campsites flooded and tents came down (not ours). We found ourselves checking the forecast frequently on our phones. The evening of our last night of camping, they predicted rain and calm winds starting at 9:30. Then, it seemed as if God said, ‘Watch this.’ Shortly after 9:00 the sky turned black and dumped buckets of water on us. The wind screamed. The rain flew sideways as we fought to keep the tent upright. After a few minutes, Ted called out to me, “How long is this supposed to last?” I pulled my phone from my raincoat pocket and glanced at the radar. “About an hour.” What I didn’t tell him was that this storm was supposed to continue for an hour and then we’d get more, off and on, for several hours.

The oddest thing was that I felt calm. God, in His great mercy, had graced me with a sense of peace even during this storm. I prayed for His help; I knew we couldn’t fight this wind ourselves. I asked Him over and over again to keep us safe.

Then, about 20 minutes after it had started, the storm… stopped. 

When we dared to breathe, we and our neighbors made sure each other was OK. Then, knowing we were in for a long night, we lay on our cots to try to rest. During that calm I read the words, ‘The Lord hears me whenever I call Him’ and also ‘I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once for You alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (Psalm 4:1, 8). I kept repeating those phrases. Sleep didn’t come to me at once but the Lord did put words from hymns in my heart, traditional hymns like ‘Holy God we praise Thy name’ that spilled from my heart in profound, continuous, joyful thanks. Our God, Who controls the wind and the rain, Who commanded the storm to stop while the apostles’ boat tossed in the waves – He cut that storm short. 

I awoke to seagulls squawking, songbirds singing, and my beloved loons calling to one another. After that violent storm at 9 pm, there were no more storms and no more rain the rest of the night. 

Some might say these events are just part of nature. But God created nature and is still alive among us. Let us praise Him, thank Him for His goodness, and even sing joyful hymns to Him. He is in control. 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.” – Psalm 106:1 

Let all I do be with You, for You, and because of You.

Thank you for reading my reflection.  All thanks to God for giving me the ideas and guiding my words!    © 2025 Gina Bedell   

  

Through these reflections, I invite you, the reader, to reflect on a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other qualified persons in order to grow in your faith and understanding of God’s love and will for your life. 

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P.S.

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