This past weekend, Eastern Canada experienced a significant storm. Hurricane Dorian rolled directly over Nova Scotia like a well-placed dart on a dart board. For almost two weeks we watched from the relative safety of our homes as it ravaged our neighbours to the south. As it made landfall here in Nova Scotia as a category two storm, it quickly lost its’ bite and within a hundred miles it was mere tropical storm with high winds, some rain, and moderate personal damage. Our county experienced power failures, but they were really a mere inconvenience compared to others in our provincial capital of Halifax.
One could only wonder, why? Those of us who pray at times like this will credit God for calming the storm. Others who are less faith-filled, or sceptical will credit geography as breaking it up. Regardless of opinions or belief, the reality is, not a single fatality occurred in our Maritime Provinces. To me that is God’s grace. Regardless, we should give thanks that we lost nothing of real significance.
I believe in God and His grace and mercy. I see evidence of His existence, power, healing, and promise each and every day. I have been given a gift of hope by Him. My hope comes in many forms. My spiritual hope is that there is someone and something waiting for me when I leave this earth. My emotional hope is that my marriage will endure the uncertainties of tomorrow. My physical hope is for mine and my wife’s health to sustain us into our old age, so when we are married over sixty years the simple touch of each other’s hand will have the same effect as when we said our vows. My mental hope is that God will gift us with capacity to love one another and never fall victim of dementia. You see, having a faith walk with God is a matter of believing in someone we have never seen. It allows us to pray about storms that will come and go, whether it is weather, or life. A sense of hope for a place in my Father’s mansion keeps life alive in me.
There are those who will rely on science and physical proof to make their own determination if there is anything after our time here. I respect that, yet I wonder why our human body is so complex, like the world around us, without having a creator that designed us. These questions will go on forever I suppose. If there is eternity, we believers win, if not, we still win, because we lived a life with hope. Without hope, we will surely fear every future hurricane in our life. Where there’s hope, there’s life and where there is a lack of hope, perhaps there is nothing.
Mike Shindruk
Master’s Hand Ministry
