The Rains Came Down
July 18, 2022 by Charlotte Riegel
Filed under Daily Devotions
By Charlotte Riegel –
A song I learned as a child about rain coming down and floods coming up came boldly to mind in recent weeks as the skies opened and the rains came down and down and down and down… Thousands of people in Calgary fought for several days to survive the deluge. Nearly 100,000 people were evacuated, some on short notice. Many homes were lost and much private property was destroyed.
A meteorological event that typically would drop some moisture and move along was stalled and rivers rose rapidly. People did their best to move items from basements and areas that might be affected before escaping to shelters in community centers, churches, or the homes of friends or family. It became a bizarre, historic event without precedent in our area, catching everyone by surprise.
As the rains kept falling, I thought about ‘in the days of Noah’. I pondered how the people in that time might have reacted, even as the people here were. First disbelief, then panic, and anger, especially anger towards authorities. Most of the people were cooperative but some rebelled and refused to leave their homes. When the rain finally did stop, these folks who defied authorities had no water, no power, spoiled food and no way to get food. They were also without sewer except in the sewage that backed up into their homes causing desperately dangerous situations for them and emergency personnel sent to rescue them.
Hearing and reading many horror stories made comparison to the ‘days of Noah’ an easy mental journey. I was also reminded that ‘in the days of Noah’ the rain did not stop for a very long time and all the people and their belongings, except Noah and his family, perished. There were a few deaths in this flood but God spared major loss of life. He did allow major devastation, and I wonder how long people will continue to defy His authority, accrediting ‘climate change’ to all the unusual phenomenon the world has been experiencing in recent years. Climate change, yes, but God controls the climate, not man. Do we contribute to it? Perhaps.
May we be diligent about getting our lives in tune with God’s ways and faithful to echo the words of Habakuk, who after describing much destruction and devastation says:
“yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakuk 3:18 NIV).
Charlotte Riegel is a freelance writer recently moved from a large metropolitan city to a wee rural community in Western Canada. Some call it retirement. She calls it 're-tire' ment as she explores new avenues of written and visual expression while assisting her husband in establishing a business in the tourist industry.