THIS IS PART 1 OF THIS WEEKS BLOG AND POSTING ON
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SHOULD I BE ABLE TO POST PART 2 FRIDAY I WILL IF NOT THEN I WILL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
I started to think about this blog last weekend. That is when we began to hear about the storm that would be developing. It wasn’t long before it received a name and it is now referred to as Hurricane Milton.
On this Monday morning, there is nothing going on here but out in the Gulf of Mexico Milton is strengthing as it has begun its track to the west coast of Florida. We have no idea where on the west coast it will hit now, yet time will tell over the next couple of days. Then a more exact location will be able to be determined.
So at this point of the week, it is prepare and wait. We have already brought in everything that we just put back out from Helene. Probably a couple of things we will buy to fill in some holes in the pantry. We can do that today while we are out getting a couple of things taken care of that were on our calendar. The Jeep and the Lincoln are gassed up. So with that said, the next couple of days will be spent watching and waiting.
Watching and waiting in and of themselves can be exhausting. Your regular schedule is altered and you are a bit more anticipating what is going to happen. I mean you know what is coming. For us, it will be rain and wind. It is going to, regardless of the intensity, be a very wet and windy Wednesday afternoon and evening as they are reporting right now.
Psalm 42:5 says-
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
As the old hymn says-
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jsesus' name
Well, now it is Tuesday and we, as are our neighbors and those in west central Florida, receiving the news of the impending landfall of Hurricane Milton early Thursday morning around 2 am. A storm, as we all are aware, is something difficult but even more so in the dark. The sounds seem to intensify and the inability to see things adds to the fear. If you add to that the power may be off because of the storm which begins to make the time very slow and labor some like the light will never come again. We know it will but it is the waiting and heart-beating fear that makes for a long night.
As I am writing today, it is that calm before the storm. The sky is partly cloudy and there is a light breeze. A far cry from 36-plus hours from now. You know what is interesting about a time like this, don’t you? It is the knowledge that you have done all you can do and it is now out of your control and you have placed it in God’s control.
You see my prayer has been and will continue to be that God does something to the storm. I’ll be honest, my prayer is God destroys it so it doesn’t affect us on land. Can God do that? Yep, and He has done it before. Will He? Well, I don’t know but I do know that regardless of how this goes I am giving Him all the glory for how it turns out. That is easy to say but it can be hard to do. We have reports that there will be a trough from the north that will cause wind shear to affect the storm. Also, there will be dry air that will enter the storm causing additional disturbance.
Based upon what we know now Wednesday night and Thursday are going to be very interesting days. Now I am sure most, if not all of us in this part of Florida, will not sleep much if at all Wednesday night. You know that earlier they felt it would hit late afternoon Wednesday so this is a different scenario we are going to experience.
We are thinking about how our house will handle the wind and the rain. Flooding is not an issue where we live so storm surge is not our problem. Wind is the biggest concern we have as the storm approaches. There is always something else you can or could do but often you have to do the best you can with what you have. Then trust the Lord and His provision to take you through.
So, as we are preparing, we have a plan and it is specific to our situation. We have a motorhome and worst case scenario with loss of power we will move in there. Now that also presumes that it survives the storm undamaged. It is stored in a covered and secure location. The thing about a motorhome is it has a generator which will provide lights and A/C.
In that 42nd Psalm but in verse 11 he says-
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
So we hold on to trusting Him and His provision.
On this Wednesday I am reminded that all you can do is prepare. I am charging devices and making sure things of value are secured in the safe.
We just got up a little bit ago and of course, we are watching the TV and getting those weather updates. So for now, the timeline has shifted to it is coming onshore until around 8 pm. That means the worst weather will be overnight. It will take the storm most of Thursday to make it to the other side of the state.
Now we have a few things left to do. You know, interestingly, we all find things we can do that we had not thought of before. Like you or anyone else that is all we can do. Then trust the Lord, pray, and pray some more.
I would ask that you continue in prayer for one another and for this state as we go through the next 24 hours.
In God's Grace,
Elbert Nasworthy
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