Sheltered in His Arms

Today, I am incredibly amazed at the grace and mercy of the Lord. Yesterday I preached at the SIL (Wycliffe) base in Bagabad, one hour south of here. I preached about the peace of God. When we left SIL, the winds were becoming stronger and there was an incredible amount of rain. Some parts of the road were flooded and very dangerous. I knew that a major typhoon was on its way ... and I was more than a bit anxious!

Every news and weather station - both locally, nationally and internationally - had plotted the typhoon 'MITAG' to pass through Isabela at around 2-3am. It looked like a monster! Winds were going to be from 160-210 km per hour and heavy rainfall was expected. In the Philippines, when you get wind AND rain during a typhoon... it's a killer.

They said that it was slow moving - only 2-13 km per hour, so we would have terrible storms all Sunday night and right through until Monday night. We were told it was best to only travel if in emergency.

So, like a good dad, I sat the kids down and said that it could get rough during the night. We let them sleep in our bed just for one night, so they wouldn't be scared. I slept on the couch because our old house is falling apart at the seems and there are so many leaks everywhere when it rains. I was prepared with my torch and a few basins! Man of faith!


I was going on what the professionals told us. I was going on what everyone else said was going to happen. What I didn't know was that many many people in Santiago were interceding before the Lord that He would change the course of this typhoon and postpone disaster. Pastor Marlou and all at Cornerstone Santiago had a time on the service when they got into groups and cried out to the Lord for His help. Marlou said that he felt a deep sense of assurance. They prayed again in the evening service and asked God to cover Santiago with His hand... and again they felt the peace of God.

But there I was in my house ... ready for whatever. I watched the football and tried to stay awake through the night. Every hour I went outside and checked the weather. Every time I found a light breeze with light rain. I saw every hour ... 1am, 2am, 3am ... but still no typhoon. At 4am I went out again. Same situation. I felt God speak into my heart ... "Go to sleep, it's OK." So I did. I left it with the Lord and abandoned my post!

I woke up this morning and rushed through to see the news on TV. I was amazed the TV was still on! Even more amazing .. the internet was still on! Usually, the slightest breeze would knock it off for days. I checked for news about Isabela ... we were on signal 3 (very severe storm) and we were warned of danger. I saw pictures of towns all around us who had been through a nightmare time with the typhoon. Roxas, Cauayan, Aurora, Dinapige ... all towns in Isabela who were 'hit'. Still no news about Santiago.

I had a Leaders meeting at Cornerstone Church followed by a Government Hearing about our land in Nagassican. When I drove to the church I was amazed! It was a beautiful day! In fact, it turned out to be the hottest and best day we have had for weeks! Check out this picture below... see the blue skies? And at that time we were under signal 3 ... severe stormy weather. All around us I could see the storm clouds in the mountains that surround us. But in Santiago we had fantastic weather.


Jonathan Batayan, our wonderful Maintenance Man, went out at 6am this morning to see 'the effects of the typhoon on Sefton Village." What he saw amazed him. He didn't see gray skies full of rain and great gusts of wind. He said the sky was a beautiful shade of yellows and orange and he felt the peace of God. The Bible says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." (Psalm 23) Today, the Lord put His hand over Santiago during a storm that was due to hit us hard; that's mercy. He actually changed the course of the typhoon so that it went north and ended up in the ocean ... that's grace.

No matter what we go through in our lives - whether physical storms, spiritual storms, emotional storms, financial storms, relationship storms .. there is always a place of rest and a dwelling of peace - even right in the centre of the storm. That is the place to be. I once read ... better the storm WITH Christ than calm waters WITHOUT him.

I leave you with the beautiful Psalm 91. I was going to cut and paste some parts of it out but I felt I needed to let you read the whole passage. This is our testimony of what the Lord has done for us in the last few days. Enjoy ...

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

They will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Thank You for your Prayers and Concern. We Love You.