Faith and Floods

In this episode of the classic comic strip Peanuts, Lucy and Linus watched a heavy rainfall through a window. Lucy wondered out loud if the entire world will be flooded. Linus reminded his sister that God promised Noah that such a catastrophe would never happen again. However, floods continue to occur on a regional level.

A few days ago, a flash flood in Kerrville, Texas killed over 120 people including children and counselors at a Christian campground. Many more are still missing. One shouldn’t believe this was an “act of God.” John 10:10 says that Satan comes “…to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” God wants His people to avoid tragedies like this. Sometimes, He will use circumstances so we won’t make bad decisions. A friend of mine in the Texas capital of Austin used to live in Kerrville. She had recent thoughts of moving back there but her plans were hindered. That possibly saved my friend’s life.


Sometimes God’s protection comes from evacuation. Back in 1951, evangelist Jack Coe held tent meetings in the Kansas City area. After experiencing sleepless nights and persistent dreams of a great flood, Coe instructed his team to dismantle the tent. Another minister try to stop him suggesting, “God can take care of this tent.” Other individuals jeered and questioned the evangelist’s belief in God. Coe’s team narrowly escaped a devastating flood caused by heavy rains and broken dikes. 17 people lost their lives, and 518,000 were displaced from their homes.


I’ve often heard the story of a pastor who stood outside his church in ankle-deep water during a rainstorm. A man in a car drove up and yelled, “Preacher, you better get in here before you drown!”


The pastor replied, “Don't worry. God will save me.”


The water became knee-deep when a guy in a raft came over and said, “Preacher, you better get in here before you drown!”


The pastor just stood there and replied, “Don't worry. God will save me.” 


The water was now waist-deep when a guy in a power boat came up and said, “Preacher, you better get in here before you drown!” 


Once again, the Preacher just stood there and replied, “Don't worry God will save me.”


Finally the water was now neck-deep and a guy in a helicopter came and said "Preacher, Preacher you better get in here before you drown!" The man still just stood there and replied "Don't worry God will save me." 


Like the others, the man in the helicopter flew away. Moments later, the pastor drowned and found himself in heaven. He then asked the Lord, “Why didn't you save me from that horrible flood?”


The Lord replied, “I sent you a car, a raft, a power boat, and a helicopter!”


One of the most interpreted Bible verses is Isaiah 59:19. The King James Version says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”  This verse appears as if the flood came from the enemy. If you remove the comma not found in the original Hebrew, you’ll notice the verse shows the flood is from God. The New Living Translation reads, “For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.” In this context, the flood is a spiritual outpouring driving the enemy away.


We can withstand spiritual floods from the enemy if our foundation is in the word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 7:


24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 

25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 

27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”


Satan will bring a flood during the tribulation in Revelation 12:


15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 

16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 

17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.


In this passage, the woman represents God’s people including those who get saved after the rapture of the church. I don’t plan to be on earth during that time. Regardless, I urge you to maintain a close relationship with the Lord. He wants to protect us from disasters.


“For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him.” - Psalm 32:6


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