The Wings of The Morning

The Wings of the Morning

One of the things I missed most when we moved to Georgia was the view of Texas sunrises and sunsets.  Without the trees to block the view, sunrise was glorious, with a tiny, orange crescent peeking above the horizon, turning the sky to a beautiful, golden pink.  Everytime I see that sky, I am reminded of two of my favorite verses in all of God’s Word, Psalm 139:9-10:  "If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there, shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me."  This past week, that passage comforted my heart greatly.

My husband Rick and I were enroute to Laurel, MS, to stay with our four youngest grandchildren.  Their mom Nicole was attending a service seminar in Memphis, TN, and our son Jamie was on-call all weekend at the hospital.  Rick had to work for a half day, so we didn’t leave until later that afternoon, certainly not looking forward to a six-hour drive.  When we arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, we found a local news station, issuing warnings about impending storms. 

We stopped for gas, and while Rick was paying inside, I began to pray about the weather.  A sense of caution began to stir in my heart, and I asked Rick if he thought we should stop and wait until the weather had calmed down.  I told him about the weather reports I had heard.  It really wasn’t raining, so Rick wanted to keep driving, hoping to beat the system headed toward Atlanta. 

As we drove, I continued to pray, still sensing that we should stop.  On the radio, we heard of a tornado heading toward Tuscaloosa, Alabama from the west.  We were heading into Tuscaloosa from the east.  As we got to East Tuscaloosa, there was an impressive display of lightning which we saw just as reporters on the radio commented on it as preceding the tornado itself.  Rick pulled into a restaurant parking lot where we took refuge inside. 

The weather worsened, with workers pulling shades.  The power went out and both customers and employees were moved into the kitchen as the tornado destroyed everything in its path within one mile of the restaurant.  Finally, the storm passed over, and the manager got the clear to release everyone headed west on the interstate.  Not three miles from the restaurant where we took refuge, trees were across the highway and tractor-trailers were strewn across the road. 

Weeping, I began to pray for those who had been in the storm’s path.  At the same time, I was reminded of God’s great, inexplicable grace in sparing us.  I turned to Rick, thanking him for honoring my request to stop driving.  Soberly, he assured me that he had not listened to me but had heard the Lord Himself directing him to pull off of the road.  Then, I thanked him for listening to the Lord.

My heart breaks for the families across the South who lost loved ones, as well as everything they owned that day.  At the same time, I give thanks to a Father who knew where we, too, were that day and whose hand led us and held us, not only the wings of the morning, but also in the midst of the storm.  Above all, we commit to serve Him with renewed passion, as we share His truth with others and do all we can to help those who experienced the devastation of that storm on that day.  Apart from God’s mysterious grace, there, too, would we be.  Use us for your honor and glory, Lord Jesus!

© 2011 Gerry Sisk

(05/18/11)