When Prayers Collide

It’s that time of year again – hurricane season - the time of year when we get track whirl pooled wrath and make decisions about evacuations and protective procedures. Scientific wonders and meteorological magic come together with high speed technology as we monitor our laptops viewing the latest predictions, coordinates, and radar mappings. Today we’ve been watching Mr. Dennis as he leaves behind a beaten Cuba and heads for the Gulf coast.

I was thinking about the conundrum that happens each year when I begin to come face to face with a potentially devastating hurricane – prayer. As the massive storms approach and the weather persons on television begin to increase their alerts and warnings I find myself praying for protection. “Dear Lord, please protect my home from destruction and keep my family safe.”

The tension comes when I realize that there is another person in Florida praying the same thing. And then I realize that there is another person in Alabama praying the same thing as well as in Mississippi; too late for the person in Cuba. All of us are praying for protection, safety, and good favor but the storm must hit someone! I don’t like the feeling that I’m dueling with my prayers and certainly I know that I’m not worthy of more protection than anyone else, so there I sit with a confused puppy dog look on my face as my head tilts in mid-sentence. Am I praying, “Smash HIS house not mine!”? “You can destroy HER car, leave mine intact!”?

So I decided this year that I’m going to adopt two new prayer principles during hurricane season. One is to pray as Christ said to pray – Thy will be done – leaving the results up to Him and His divine decision and, two, is to pray for annihilation. “Dear Lord, please annihilate this storm. Destroy it as it spins over the water.”

Amen.