Thank you to my friends Donna and Wendy and the Forest Service for these great photos!
He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields. Job 5:10 (NKJV)
In Montana we had a miracle these past few weeks. For two months we had smoke and fires. Then God sent rain and snow to put them out! The next week He sent more rain and snow, just to make sure there weren’t any more hot spots. God is so good!
Usually we have the bluest sky in all the world here in Montana. It really is the Big Sky State, with a sky that for me stretches from the Beartooth Mountains to the Absarokas to the Crazies and beyond. But on July 17, my parents came to visit and suddenly it was hazy. I remember, because we always want it to be beautiful for our family and visitors. But the Crazy Mountains just weren’t as clear any more.
The smoke persisted for two months as over a million acres of Montana forests and ranch lands burned. Firefighters worked nonstop to contain the flames. High temperatures and drought conditions kept the blazes going. It seemed that every time there were storm clouds, we would get the lightning, not the rain, as if someone was praying Psalm 144:
Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
Flash forth lightning and scatter them… Psalm 144:5 (NKJV)
The second week of September it was 90 degrees and a new fire broke out from a lightning strike at the north end of the Crazy Mountains. From our house we could see the plume of smoke going up to the sky. Friends’ husbands were going out to fight the flames. People were posting on Facebook, “Pray for snow!”
And guess what, God sent rain and snow!!! He really does answer prayers! When the storm lifted we had blue skies again and snow covering our long-hidden Crazy Mountains. The doxology was my prayer as I took in this beautiful sight, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above the heavenly host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!”
Alleluia! Jesus answers prayers! I bet our friends in the south affected by the hurricanes have awesome stories of God’s goodness, too!
Today’s TEA CUPP: Let’s praise Jesus for how He has provided for us, carried us through the storm, protected us and answered our prayers!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:2-3 (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.