Back to Tornado Alley
Dark clouds looming. Tornado warnings. Hail warnings. Heavy rains warnings. News reporters were urging their listeners to move away from windows. They urged those in the path of the storm, to take cover. That was Tuesday night in Tulsa. It felt like home where we lived for over 40 years. All was well when the storm passed over. It gave me memories.
When I became single again, my family would call to check on me at times like this. In the last home I lived in, here in Tulsa, I took to my grandchildren’s toy closet in the middle of the house. Away from windows, the middle, surrounded by walls, is where we are directed to go in case of a tornado. In that toy closet, I had pillows over and under me. I quoted scripture (Psalm 91:1): ” I dwell in the secret place of the Most High. I abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in Him I trust.”
Psalm 91:1 is always my emergency 911 number. I pray and speak safety and protection to all of us in the pathway of the storm. I pray and speak to the storm and tell it to cease and desist. God’s Word says we can do that. Mark 11:23 says: “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” I quote my Prince of Peace’s words as I speak to the storm: “Peace — be still.” And, personally, MY peace was still. Just a short while later, I heard on the news station, “Cold front is pushing the tornado activity out of the area.”
I’m well acquainted with living in “tornado alley”. Over the years, we witnessed many tornadoes, as well as the aftermath. We watched our barn roof be taken off (yes, I said “watched”). The tornado worked its path down Keystone Lake and our home and acreage backed up to it. We took to our under-the-stairs closet for safety when the winds grew to such ferocious velocity. My husband’s parents lost their home in a tornado, but they were safe in a bathroom shower stall. They came out with not a scratch on them.
And, with natural storms, as well as those we face in life’s circumstances and adversity, we can still make it through by finding peace during the storm by trusting in God’s faithfulness. Being here in Tulsa with my buddy, Karen, who was a member of our Masters IV quartet, I remembered us singing an old song, “Sheltered in the Arms of God” It went like this: “So let the storms rage high, the dark clouds rise. They don’t worry me, for I’m sheltered safe within the arms of God. He walks with me, and not of earth shall harm me, for I’m sheltered safe within the arms of God.”
On Tuesday night, after keeping our eyes on the news reports, and saying prayers for safety, we soon saw the “all clear” report. And once again……it is well with our souls, our spirits, and our bodies. I titled this blog “Back to Tornado Alley” because that’s where we lived for forty years and I’m still here to tell the story. Maybe you don’t live on Tornado Alley, but there are storms of other kinds on your radar. I encourage you to take the scriptures in this blog, particularly 911 (Psalm 91:1) and let Him be your “Storm Chaser”. Let Him be your refuge, your fortress, and your God in Who you trust!