We had driven all day and fortunately was able to catch the last ferry to the island. As we arrived, it was moving on towards dusk and we knew that we had to find our contact person to get the key to the house. It was such a cute little town and I could hardly wait to explore it the next day. I was eager to check out all of the antique shops and gift stores. The kids could hardly wait to get on the beach to look for sea shells and hidden treasures.
We found our contact person and got the key...We had been told we needed to hurry though, because it was hard to find the path in the dark. You mean we can't just drive up to the house? "Oh, no," she said, " You park on the hill and follow the path down to the house." Actually, once we got there, it was quite a walk from the car to the house with all of the luggage, food, and beach accessories for the kids. The house was sitting on stilts and it was backed up to a bank. If you looked out the windows on the backside, all you could see was dirt and weeds. The windows on the front faced the ocean and it was a beautiful view. It was a very rustic cabin and sparsely furnished. I noticed though that there was only one door going into the cabin. As I looked around, the side bank came out far enough to enable the owners to build steps and a landing to the door and then steps going down to the beach.
We unpacked, ate a light dinner and settled in for the night. As I pulled the covers around me, I could hear the sound of the ocean crashing against the bank underneath the cabin. It took a while for me to go to sleep. We were awakened around 2 o'clock in the morning by the wind and the shaking of the house. A storm had developed during the night and had increased in intensity. As the thunder boomed and lightning flashed all around us.... the kids woke up and came running to the living room where we were. We had gotten up to check and see if we could find candles if we lost power. The ocean had brought in huge pieces of wood that kept hitting against the stilts of the house. Each time they hit, it seemed like the cabin moved... The ocean was in full force as the waves crashed against the shore, underneath us and around us. I went to the door and looked out. There was no landing to see, no steps... when the lightning came, we could tell that we were completely surrounded by water. There was no way out.
Sleeping was not an option anymore at this point. None of us could even think about going back to sleep. As we listened to the rumble and roar of the storm, we prayed for safety and calmness. Here we were, our first night of "rest," and my heart was pounding as I prayed that the cabin would stay on those stilts. I'm sure the dwelling had weathered many storms such as this one, yet all I could think of was getting through the night and wondering if this would be the storm that carried us and the cabin out into the ocean.
I guess my fears weren't too unfounded as I asked someone in the village the next day why the cabin we were staying in was the only one on the beach. "Oh," she said, "Storms took the other ones out. There were quite a few houses on the beach but they are now gone."
Sometimes, a storm appears in our life that we have no control of. It can leave us "shaking" with fear. As I was reading Psalm 62 this morning, the word "shaken" caught my attention.
As we prayed during the storm on the beach that night, our family rested in God alone. We trusted Him to be our rock and our fortress, our safe place.
My soul finds rest in God alone;
My salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2
God is not just our protector in a storm... He is the salvation of our hearts. We find peace and rest in His love. He is our strength, our helper. His promises are true... He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
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