So I'm just going to pretend I wrote this on last Monday... I meant to, but when life gets busy, stuff as important as this gets put to the side..... Excuses, excuses, I know....

Hurricane Charley

I prayed against it. I prayed that my friends in St. Petersburg, FL would be safe, that their families would be safe, and that all of their possessions would be intact. After praying so often while I was in N. Ireland, I thought.... will that continue at home? will I continue to pray as often throughout the day with my busy life in AZ? will my prayer life go down to my norm? Oh Lord, please don't let that happen... Then, there's the hurricane. I began worrying about all of my friends... some of them with walks with God, some terribly luke warm, and some just unbelievably lost and in sin. I began to think of the many times I have started to share with them and that I have shown them my love for God. I want those times to continue. I want more opportunities to speak to them about God, church, His love for them and me, and His grace. I prayed and I prayed for them to be protected, for the hurricane to not hit their city ~ even their work building in which they all share. Since the news did not give any clue to what happened to St. Petersburg, and since I don't know the geographical areas of Florida to know for myself, I was terrified to make the phone call "this" morning to see how they all are. In the end, God prevailed and protected my friends. The hurricane completely sidepassed their city. It didn't hit them at all. The Thursday before it hit, they had voluntary evacuation. Friday, they had mandatory evactuations... Yet, they still decided to have 'hurricane' parties, and to sleep on airbeds so they could sleep floating down the streets...Yet, somehow, God moved the hurricane not to hit them... The city that's a peninsula on the peninsula and usually gets the brunt of it all ~ got spared. Praise the Lord, I am so thankful. Every last one of them was saved... Only one girl's grandparents got effected, but even that was minimal. Praise You Lord and thank You Lord. Help me pray more, help me continue to pray with faith. Thank You so much for protecting them.

I think of Elijah and how he prayed for it to rain for 3 1/2 years and so it did. I think of how he then prayed for it to not rain for 3 1/2 years and so it didn't.... We can all pray and ask it all be in God's will.... God works through prayers and He hears all the prayers of His saints. God did not spare my friends because of my prayers; He spared them out of His mercy. None the less, we need to pray. It is powerful and God can and will move in mighty ways.