In the Midst of the Storm

Photo: Pray It Say It e-cards

I feel an urgency to get this offering of “In The Midst of the Storm” out especially to those of you within the path of the hurricane. And to those of you with loved ones in these areas, pass this on. I wrote the following story after God brought me through Hurricane Fran.

Light in the Dark

On Friday, September 6, 1996, at 3:00 A.M., I got a wake-up call that I will never forget! The ferocious winds accompanying Hurricane Fran sledgehammered my sweet dream. I awoke to a world void of light and no silvery moon. I was in the basement of a wood-framed house surrounded and held captive by flag-pole-tall bending and breaking pine trees—disoriented, scared, and alone. It was like living inside the color black.

Fear choked me as I crawled through the house in what I hoped was the direction of the bathroom. Death knocked at the windows and doors begging for entry. But I wasn’t answering. I bumped into every wall, felt each sharp corner of furniture, and shouted in an attempt to drown death’s call. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4, New King James Version). I shouted the same verses repeatedly with ouch’s mixed in like choruses. I knew that if I could get to the bathroom, which was in the center of the house, I would be safe.

As I crawled and listened to the hurricane that raged all around me, I realized that it could very well be my last night on earth. I felt the coolness of the ceramic tile under my hands and knees as I made it to the safety of the windowless bathroom. I felt the toilet seat, propped myself up, and grabbed the Bible and mini-battery-powered clip-on book light out of my magazine rack. I turned to Psalm 119 and read, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

In the background, I heard the crackling and thump of snapping trees. Thunderously loud wind, crashing glass, and tree branches slashed all around the wood-frame house. Through my tears, I recited out loud, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Yet, still—I thought of death.

I wanted one moiré chance to tell my mother, father, and especially my son, Michael, “I love you.” No excuses. No long talks. I wanted them to know that I genuinely loved them—since forever—and until forever is no more. And then something happened.

Peace washed over me like the warm waters of a baptismal pool. It was like God wrapped His loving arms around me like a loving father comforts his child awakened by a nightmare. The wind seemed muffled. Time stopped. Whether I lived or died did not seem to matter. An incomparable light flooded my spirit. The tiny book light shone like a beacon illuminating the vast night sky that surrounds it, beckoning the troubled ships to shore.

I whispered a prayer, “Even if I did, I know that you are with me. If I live, you are still with me. Whether I live or die—all is well with my soul and for that truth I am grateful.” I stretched out on the bathroom floor and fell asleep.

A loud tapping sound woke me. I opened my eyes to the light of dawn filtering through the slit at the bottom of the bathroom door…**

© 2002 Stanice Anderson, excerpt from I Say A Prayer For Me: One Woman’s Life of Faith and Triumph, Walk Worthy Press/Warner Books

While "Light In The Dark" is a true story from my book, I believe that God wanted it to be for times such as these…freely God gave to me…and freely I give to you. And now, I feel compelled to pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray a special prayer today for those of us who Hurricane Katrina threatens. Thank you God that you are greater still than any hurricane…than any one thing and any combination of things. You alone are God Almighty and you promise never to leave us nor forsake us. Father keep us safe, keep our loved ones safe, keep even strangers to us who are no strangers to you SAFE. Station your infinite number of guardian angels around us to protect us, minister to us especially in the darkest hours. Lord for those of us that don’t know you as their personal Lord and Savior even during the storm let them experience first-hand and personally Your grace and mercy. Let them know that you are just a prayer away and that You are The Light that dispels ANY AND ALL Darkness. Grant us peace that surpasses all human understanding. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen. So be it.

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