What Happens When God Spares You a Storm?

Our host parish of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, Florida has spent the better part of a week in the path for Hurricane Ian. Evacuation orders, filling sandbags, boarding up windows has preoccupied our town. In the midst of all preparations, even non-Orthodox residents of the city invoke the intercessions of Saint Nicholas. He never lets us down.

Just to give you a hint of the stress of the past week, the hurricane changed directions ‘on us’ more than once. On Sunday the storm was going to remain mostly in the Gulf of Mexico. By Monday, the storm had shifted and was expected to be about a mile offshore, a serious concern. We awoke Tuesday to news the storm had shifted east and would pass inland from us. That would mean serious flooding and winds. The path continues east, which is good for Tarpon Springs, but bad for others.

That is the point of today’s post. We always pray God will spare us from disaster. Natural disasters have been happening for millennia, and they will continue to occur. Let’s be honest. It was humans that ‘moved in’ to the neighborhood where the disaster. Naturally that means more destruction when the storms occur. So, we pray for God’s protection.

Saint Nicholas continues to watch over our town. The hurricane won’t make landfall in Tarpon Springs, but it will make landfall somewhere. We cannot limit our prayers to our safety only. We must pray for everyone who is in the path of storms and natural disasters. Our safety is their possible destruction.

May Saint Nicholas intercede for all in the path of hurricanes. May God protect those who protect us. Most of all, let us pray for everyone to look to Christ for hope and salvation.