One Cries When One Has Been Saved

Yesterday afternoon Betty, Sarah, and I were returning from hiking the Bluffs of the Tennessee River.  We were driving west just the other side of Lexington when the sky in front of us and across the horizon to the north began rapidly to turn a deep black blue.  Almost at the same time the radio and all our cellphones erupted in the screeching alarm that proceeds a weather alert and the announcement that we were driving into a tornado warning.  I commented on it being dead calm, Sarah chimed in, “That’s the way it is before a tornado”, and Betty, who was driving, began to say we needed to turn around.  We topped a small rise and Sarah exclaimed “its windy ahead of us!” as we could see debris becoming airborne way ahead.  Simultaneously electric wires maybe a quarter a mile ahead exploded showering the four-lane with sparks.  We were now in a debris field and Betty was beginning to pray out loud.  I saw a crossover in the four-lane and said to turn around there.  As soon as Betty turned around Sarah said, “Mom if I were you I would floor it.”  We took off flying now fully engulfed in flying debris.  Our van was being shaken violently and often rose as if it was going to be separated from the pavement.  Betty was praying out loud and desperately asking me to find a turn off toward the south that looked clearer.  If we turned the van perpendicular to the wind it would put us broad face to the storm.  By now I was holding the wheel to help Betty keep us straight and both of us were praying out loud.  I told Betty to slow down to not assist the wind in getting us airborne.  We topped a small rise and there to the right was a school.  I told Betty to pull in there but we couldn’t find a cross over.  We passed the school and about 100 yards further on there was a cross over in the four-lane and we turned around briefly broadside to the wind and now driving right into the brunt of it.  Debris was flying everywhere as Betty drove into the parking lot.  There was a perfect little space in the corner of the school that was just big enough for the van and would put us into the lee of the storm.  I guided betty into it and we could immediately feel some relief from the driving wind.  I told Betty to quickly change seats with me as we crawled over each other and I told everyone to put on their shoes.  The wind continued to howl around us and we were engulfed in horizontal white rain but our tiny corner was shielding us from much of it.  We continued to pray our arms upheld now as we pleaded with God the Blood of Jesus and rebuked the storm.  It began to hail and the rain was being blown off the roof of the school and flooding our car with water as just inches to our left debris and continued to fly by.  I told Sarah to text our family and ask them to pray for us.  She said, “I already have!”  Our phones began to ping and she continually relayed messages to us from Sissy who had the storm on radar.  She was telling us to stay put that we were right in the teeth of it.  I had prayed myself out and as I stopped Betty began to pray.  Seconds passed and the storm continued to strengthen and then suddenly the hail stopped and a few seconds later the trees in front of the school stood upright again.  It was still raining but the wind was now gone.  Sissy called.  Her and Bo relaying us news from their radar.  The tornado warning was in effect for 10 more minutes but it had passed us.  We waited a few more minutes and then all held hands and thanked God for His protection.  As we pulled out giddy with our salvation Sarah said, “I think there was a time there when we all thought we were going to die!”  I said, “I believe someday God is gonna show us how many times our prayers to Him saved us.”  Betty, who had driven us through it, her voice trembling, began to cry; no words came.  One cries when one has been saved!

Our Holy Sanctuary in the storm.