“The safety of the mountains” is a thought many of us have embraced. Living in the Appalachian Mountains, we have enjoyed a relatively mild climate. Tornadoes have been rare, and snowstorms have been diverted in other directions by the mountains that surround us. The Appalachians are what I have known for most of my life, and I felt almost immune to weather dangers.
That all changed on September 27, 2024 when the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved over our hills with strong wings and dumping massive amounts of rain. Rivers rose to record levels and roadways and bridges were destroyed. Landslides were common and dozens of houses were demolished. Lives were lost and life changed in ways we could never have imagined. The suffering is extensive and deep.
We felt secure as we were nestled in the hollows of these majestic mountains. But that same rugged terrain is what led to the devastating floods. It will take a very long time to recover, even though the outpouring of relief supplies and volunteers is nothing short of amazing.
Sometimes floods are described as “100 year floods”; this one may be closer to a “1,000 year flood”. One of the lessons learned is that what we once regarded as secure has been cast in a different light.
Natural disasters can have a positive effect if we lift our thoughts to more eternal considerations. No one thinks about floods when the skies are blue – but they should. In the same way, do we think about the day when Christ will return again? Why should we?
“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2,3).
A thief can rattle our feelings of security. We thought we had taken appropriate measures to protect our belongings, but someone took everything! What we once thought was secure really wasn’t. That’s how the coming of Jesus will be, Paul wrote. Therefore, make preparations now.
Jesus taught this idea before Paul did: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:42-44).
Those who survived the storm and the flooding will likely be able to recover in time. Those who are caught unprepared at the coming of Jesus will not recover. For them it will be too late. What they thought was secure …
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall