I’m just going to state the obvious right off the bat. Two devastating hurricanes back-to-back is no fun.

First Helene decimated the coastal areas not far from my home. The flooding was significant. I have friends who have lost their homes due to the storm surge. Then Milton barreled toward us, the aftermath causing inland flooding and because of the high winds, lots of downed trees. On the other side of the state there were significant tornadoes.

Along with the damage comes the emotional toll. First, the stress of waiting for the storm to hit. Do we leave? Did we shore up the property to withstand the storm? Then comes the rain, high winds and uncertainty. Once the storm passes, we deal with clean up, assessment and trying for a bit of normalcy.

A week before Milton was forecasted to impact my county, I walked my property praying Psalm 91. As the forecast grew more dire, I expanded my prayers to my neighborhood, the county and then the west coast of Florida. When you feel helpless to what is coming, reciting God’s Word brings a calm you can’t even fathom before and after a storm. Praying the scripture reminds us who is in control and builds faith.

Since the storm, the sun has been shining, The weather is beautiful. Talk about mental whiplash.

Despite it all, people are cheerful, going out of the to help others and hopeful for the future.

I’m grateful not to have sustained as much damage as others. My heart breaks for those having to deal with the results of two storms. Please, take a moment out of your day to ask God to assist those who desperately need Him right now.

I’ll leave you with Psalm 91 and the truth that through anything, God is good and He loves us.

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”