Thursday, November 5, 2020

Zapped by Zeta!

 


As they sailed, He fell asleep.  A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.  The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"  He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

Can you guess what the above photo represents?  Believe it or not, this is our driveway after the recent tropical storm, Zeta, zaps us!  What a mess doesn't even begin to describe the debris strewn all across our yard and decks.

The day before the storm is scheduled to hit us, my husband, Danny, and I carry our valuables down to the safe shelter of our finished basement.  We make sure our phones are charged just in case we lose electricity, though we rarely do at our home.  And we're pretty sure the high winds will knock out the internet service, too, which it does.  We even take our coffee pot downstairs!

Why?  Because Zeta's entrance into our neighborhood is predicted to be around four o' clock Thursday morning.  We have to set our alarms in order not to sleep through the impending chaos.  Oh, how difficult it is to rouse up in the dark, leaving a warm, inviting bed behind!  Especially when we are uncertain what will even be left of the upstairs rooms in the wake of the gusty winds, which are sure to topple limbs and possibly trees.

We are praying without ceasing that God would spare our roof the moment the winds begin to wail.  Actually, I start praying several days before the impending storm.  Just the thought of more damage to our roof right after we've had a new one installed, churns my stomach.  Yes, there is damage in the yard, but thankfully and miraculously, our home survives unscathed.  God is so good!



This huge limb fell out of a pine tree that took the secondary hit from a lightning strike another pine suffered a year ago last summer.  I don't know if the following photo makes it clear where it fell off, but do try to see it.  If you hover over the photo, it will probably enlarge.


Yes, this tree will now have to be taken down, but we will be all the safer for it.

Our former pastor, Wallace, was renowned for saying this about the storms of life:  "Sometimes, Jesus will calm the storms and rebuke the rising water.  But other times, He says, 'This is a good storm, Wallace; let's ride it out together!'"

Indeed, Jesus most certainly rode out Zeta with us, and we can't thank Him enough for His shield of protection, caring and love.

Amen!

35 comments:

  1. Thank you and Praise you Lord that you are all safe after this storm. Yes, God allows storms to happen in our lives. We may not know or understand why; but we should rest assured that He is always in control.

    God bless you and your family, Martha.

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    1. Yes, Victor, God is the only One in control, and we are so grateful He kept us safe during this storm.
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Thank God y'all didn't suffer significant damage or outages. Only by the light of day did we, too, realize our blessings. I ran into a gal from church at Wal-Mart yesterday -- she lives but 4 miles away, and only got her electricity back day before yesterday. I love Pastor Wallace's quote so much!

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    1. Isn't Pastor Wallace's quote the best, Myra? Yes, I realize so many folks had it worse in the wake of this storm, and we're feeling so blessed to have come out of it none the worse for wear.
      Love and blessings!

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  3. Sure looks like quite a mess but so thankful there was no major damage! Now we are watching Eta here in Florida. Have a great weekend Martha :)

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    1. Yes, it was quite the mess, Martha, but thanks to the Lord, we survived. Hope Eta passes you by!
      Love and blessings!

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  4. I am so happy that you all and your home are safe after the aftermath of Zeta!! You have a whole bunch of cleanup ahead, but thank God your home is solid and nobody was hurt!! xo

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    1. The clean up has been accomplished, Terri, I'm happy to say. As soon as was possible, Danny was out blowing off the driveway and the yard, so now we are back to "normal," whatever that means. Yes, we are so very grateful that things were not worse, and thanking God for His protection!
      Love and blessings!

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  5. I am so very thankful you are unscathed. Storms can be so frightening. Jesus certainly weathered zeta with you. Prayer is powerful! Blessings and love

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    1. Yes, Nells, our Lord was right there with us all the way! And we can never underestimate the power of prayer.
      Love and blessings!

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  6. Wow! I rejoice with you in the Goodness of our God! Hallelujah! I had to keep going back to that first picture of your driveway. Wow...Hugs to you, Martha. So glad your home was spared.

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    1. Oh, me, too, Diane, and to God be the glory for that miracle! Yes, that picture of the driveway tells the story, for sure. But all that is cleaned up now, and we are hoping for calmer weather down the road.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. I love to hear testimonies of God’s goodness and protection. May angels of protection continue to hover around your property. Such value in serving the Lord!😀❤️👍🙏🙏🙏

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    1. There is infinite value in serving the Lord, Valerie! I'm so glad you enjoyed this testimony; God's goodness is readily available to all who ask.
      Love and blessings!

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  8. Martha, I'm so thankful that the damage was so much less than it might have been. I'm also thankful for Jesus' presence in all the storms and messes of life in this fallen world.

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Yes, Kim, I'm so grateful for that, too. This is a fallen world, yet His love and mercy are ever present for us to cling to. Praying that it is His will to get us out of the mess our country is in right now.
      Love and blessings!

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  9. Wow! I am so surprised by these late storms we are having this year! Now there is another one churning around down there and no one seems to know exactly where it will end up, but maybe in Florida. We are going to GA this weekend, to the mountain area around Hiawassee! Trusting there won't be anymore storms while we are there. We are just looking forward to a change of scenery and maybe a little fall beauty if there is still any left? Our kids are going with us and we are so happy to get away for a few days. So glad you were safe and that no serious damage was done. I know all about that clean up after such a storm. But when that is all there really is, we don't mind so much. Praise God that Jesus rode that one out with you!

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    1. Yes, Pam, we have had lots of late storms this year, and it's highly unusual that we ever suffer any effects of a tropical one where we live. Where we live, the colors are still just starting with the leaves, so I hope you will see some autumn beauty in your trip to Hiawassee. If it weren't for this danged Covid, I'd invite y'all to visit. Maybe, another time?
      Love and blessings!

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  10. Wow. Martha... our God is certainly amazing.. and wisely praying days in advance was rewarded indeed! Praise His holy Name above all Names.
    I'm grateful for you. My dad had his place trashed like that with a cyclone. They sild up after thst mess and moved here to town.
    Praying tree will be safely felled. On mobile so cant see really well. Just thought of you..😊🙏🙏🙏🙏
    Thanks for sharing, and may God bless and keep you and all whom you love safe and well.
    Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz. X

    {Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz}
    {Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

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    1. Yes, Shaz, God is amazing, indeed! We are feeling so grateful for all He has done. Sorry your dad had to go through such a trauma in that cyclone, but seems like he made the right choice to move after that incident. May the Lord protect and keep us all.
      Love and blessings!

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  11. Amen. What a wonderful reminder that God is always with us in our storms.

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    1. Oh, yes, He definitely is, J. D.! And for that, I'm forever grateful.
      Love and blessings!

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  12. "... ride it out together." That's an interesting perspective. We all need to look at life that way because we don't have a choice, anyway!

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    1. It is the best way to look at life, Barbara, because Jesus didn't say if there will be troubled times, He said when. Know I'm continuing to pray for you and B.!
      Love and blessings!

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  13. Oops, what a mess. But the sky turned blue again I see. Riding lout any storm with Jesus should be an adventure, interesting perspective.

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    1. Yes, it was a mess, indeed, Marja, but everything now is fine and back to normal. We are so grateful to Jesus for riding out this storm with us!
      Love and blessings!

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  14. I'm so glad your home was spared any damage! I will be praying the clean up goes smoothly.

    I love the quote from your former pastor. I'm going to write it down so I remember it. :)

    Love,
    Annie

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    1. That is a great quote, Annie, and well worth remembering when our storms of life hit. And yes, though we're still waiting on the tree guys, clean up has been accomplished.
      Love and blessings!

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  15. Sorry I'm late to this conversation Martha. You know...life happens. As do weekends. I'm glad you and Danny are ok. Things can be replaced. Trees can grow again. But your lives are precious.

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    1. Absolutely, Bill! Things can be replaced, people can't be. We are both so thankful to God for His protection through this event.
      Love and blessings!

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  16. OH, sweet friend! I am so thankful God spared your lives, your roof, and your home. He is so faithful. May His blessings rest upon you continually.

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    1. We are so, so thankful to God for His protective hand, Cheryl! It could have been so much worse, but for His intervention.
      Love and blessings!

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  17. Oh, no! that is a photo of your driveway!?!? Sending virtual hugs and prayers to you and your hubby. It is a testament to your faith that even now you can say God is good! :)

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    1. Yes, that was our driveway after the storm, Laurie. You couldn't even tell the driveway was there! Yes, God is always good, no matter what happens in our lives.
      Love and blessings!

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