Steady Storms: Present Savior

I have lived about half my life in Louisiana and the other half in the beautiful state of Colorado. Though I am in a more populated area now, I still remember what it is like to live in a rural mountain town. For in many rural areas of Colorado, if you need something or want to do something fun, you will have to drive at least three hours or so to fulfill your needs and desires.

For almost fifteen years now, that has been the reality for my mom, my dad, my sister, and myself. If we wanted to go to a favorite restaurant, a concert, a nice movie theater, we made the trek to Denver or to Grand Junction, CO a few times a year to do so. That remains the case for my family today. Though I am only an hour away from Denver now, I still can’t drive so some of those obstacles still remain.

While there would be snowstorms and blizzards going to and from Denver, we knew that meant we just needed snow tires and the discipline to drive slow on Rabbit Ears Pass till we got back home to Hayden.

Yet, snowstorms are not the only traveling barrier for Coloradans year around. In drier, desert areas like around Grand Junction, dust storms occur. One time when I was in the 6th grade, my family and I got caught up in a dust storm, while we were going on a trip to get things from Sam’s Club and Target in Grand Junction, CO.

My Dad was driving our mini-van while my sister and I were in the back, eagerly awaiting the moment when we would get out of the car. We were listening to a CeCe Winans CD when my Mom noticed a cloud in the distance.

“Is that snow?” she said, puzzled as we drew nearer to it.

It wasn’t snowing at all. It was dust and we were heading right into a dust storm.

All of a sudden, multiple cars crashed into each other. A truck flipped three times and my Dad told us to close our eyes, so we wouldn’t see the dead driver’s body on the left side of the road. Dad then drove our car to the right side of the road and parked it. He said we’d meet Jesus soon, while we looked in the sky and watched a cargo plane shaking above us, looking as if at any moment it would crash.

In those brief moments, I yelled and whined.

“Why?! We were 30 mins away from everything in Louisiana, but you wanted to live in the dumb mountains. We’re gonna die now! This is all your fault!”

Yet, before I knew it, the storm stopped. Our family minivan was undamaged and we were unharmed. My Dad started our car back up, we went to Grand Junction to get what we needed, and then we went back home.

All around us right now, there are storms, of all kinds. It is an election year, and every opinion held on both sides of the aisle is more often pessimistic than hopeful about the election’s outcome.  Coronavirus is making people sick worldwide. Depending on who you talk to, fears of Coronavirus and the Presidential election is driving the reality and terror of global recession and depression.

However, it is Jesus and the overall story of Scripture that reminds us today, of the faithfulness and nearness of Almighty God. Even though like the Israelites in the book of Numbers, we often forget His goodness and fear the good He has for us, He remains who He is, who He has always been. He is our faithful and ever-present Savior.

If you are doubting Him today, worried about who’s going to be President this November 3rd, if another Depression is on its way, or just how you are going to pay your bills this month, I encourage you to meditate and reflect on the words from the wonderful hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness. They are listed below, on a page from a Baptist Hymnal my Maw-Maw gave me. 🙂

Thank you for reading.

Until Next Time,

Jacob McGowen