HOW DO I FIND GOD?: LENTEN DEVOTIONAL FEBRUARY 19

Published February 19, 2018 by SMBC

By Byron Keeling

Sherri and I were in Washington, D.C., when we first learned that Hurricane Harvey had set its sights on Texas. We made it back to Houston on one of the last Southwest flights into Hobby before the airport closed for several days. By the evening of August 28, flood waters were lapping at the doors on all four sides of our home. I spent a sleepless night praying over and over again: "Please make the rain stop." The rain did not stop. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, "Father, if possible, please take this cup from me; but even so, may your will be done and not mine." I take comfort in Jesus's prayer. It reminds me that there is nothing wrong or selfish in asking God to make our pain stop. It also reminds me that God's will must be done, not mine. We will all endure pain and suffering. Yet, even when we endure pain and suffering, God's promise is that he is our refuge and strength. I will not pretend that Hurricane Harvey was a happy experience for us. But we saw God's mercy when we were able to get back from Washington without being stranded away from home. And we saw God's love when folks in our South Main family took the time out of their schedules to help get us on the path to reconstruction.