Sometimes the answers to our prayers come in ways we don’t expect. Sometimes those answers can be downright painful. One such answer is the rain that has flooded Texas. The loss of life has been heartbreaking. The damage and loss of property more than upsetting. But I believe the storms that have flooded Texas are an answer to prayer.
Drought in the Southwest from California to Texas has been a fact of life for several years. The Bastrop fires in 2011 are an example of the danger of drought. Many farmers and ranchers have struggled to survive this drought. History tells us drought occurs periodically, sometimes for several years. The worst seems to have been the 1950 to 1957 drought, although regular cycles of shorter droughts seem the norm.
I know I have not been alone in praying for an end to the drought. I believe the rains this spring are God’s answer to many prayers from His people. Unfortunately, enough rain to fill reservoirs means flooding streams, creeks and rivers. This weekend the Brazos River in Fort Bend County is supposed to flood as a result of upriver rains this week. Earthen dams have been put to the test and some are still being watched as the wet soil cannot handle more rain. It has been similar to tropical storms but less intense than strong hurricanes.
I am truly sorry for the suffering these storms have caused. I believe God’s instruction to ‘rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.’ But I can only praise Him for answering the fervent prayers of Texans and others who saw the long-term suffering that comes with drought as something to ask Him to change. Water is life and not enough water leads to unspeakable losses that come more slowly than with flood but come nevertheless.
If you’ve suffered loss of loved ones or property this spring in Texas, I weep with you. But many of us are seeing liquid gold falling from the sky as parched earth and dwindling water supplies comes to an end once more. The last few days, I’ve asked for the rain to go where it’s most needed; I am sure others have joined me.
Years ago, I entreated God to free someone I loved from the chains of addiction. The answer to that prayer meant God removed the person from my life. It didn’t happen in the manner I had thought and believed for, but the answer came. That person’s freedom means more to me than keeping them close. It was an uncomfortable answer to prayer.
I am learning to trust that God’s answers are always best. Do you have prayers yet to be answered? Are you willing to trust that the best will come even if it doesn’t look like your plan?
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