No doubt you have heard that the state of Texas has been hit pretty hard weather-wise starting early Monday morning around 2:00 a.m., February 15, 2021 through the balance of the week. First, a great portion of the state was blanketed with snow and electrical power outages. Many households were forced to find refuge in hotels and to move in with family and friends. Some families even hunkered down in their cars and trucks to find safety and heat comfort relief and also to recharge their cell phones.

To add insult to injury, later in the week, besides doing without electricity, the water mains went out and there was no water and peoples’ home pipes burst and their dwellings were flooded. Emergency shelters were overcrowded and most hotels in our area were booked solid. This water loss catrastrophe caused many peoples not to be able to bathe or flesh their toilets. Price gouging was reported with some hotels, too, and gas stations ran out of regular gas, but premium was still available. During these emergency times, it has caused some people to become temporary thieves and to steel water from neighboring swimming pools to use in their toilet tanks in order to flush them.

So, I guess you can say Texas was forced to endure two pandemics: Covid-19 and electricity and water shortages. A few families resorted to using propane gas burners to get heat relief which proved to be very dangerous and deadly. Others foolishly used open charcoal bar-be-que burners which also proved to emit carbon monoxide poisons. (I guess when people panic, and are put in a precarious situation, they do not think straight or coherently.)

I personally was fortunate to have family members nearby who took me in and who still had heat and some water. We were forced to boil the water and had to do without it for several hours. But, nevertheless, we survived. A number of my friends and sisters in Christ reached out to me to see if I was alright and safe. They all had beautiful words of encouragement for me and we comforted each other with prayers and scripture quotes. One of my favorite scriptures I like to repeat in times like these is as follows:

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You”. (Psalm 119:11)

I confess when there is trouble on every side, a person is prone to utter a few words, deeds, and thoughts towards heaven that could easily boarder on blasphemy. My friends and I reminded each other that God is still on the throne and very much in control even during these times and conditions. Also, He promises that a brighter day is on the horizon. I find this prayer sighted below comforts me and keeps me in good standing with our Lord and Savior. Please recite it on behalf of the many souls here in Dallas, Texas who may have omitted sending up a prayer to the God who heals. You also might want to pray it for yourself in times of trouble and despair.

“Holy Spirit, I pray that You will clearly show me in the Word those things that are right for me and those things that are wrong. Please make it possible for me to renounce the sins in my life and to live only for You from now on. Amen.”

In closing, let me remind myself and you, too, that God has given us the Bible as a mirror to show us how not to sin against Him when trouble comes, but to have courage, faith and hope. Just remember that in spite of everything going on, God is still in control and is the Master of our fate.

Scripture Lesson: “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Direct my footsteps according to Your word.” Psalm 119:130, 133

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