The Longest Minute

By Martha Noebel

While running errands today, I encountered a storm like I have never experienced before. I was at a mall in Texas when a blast of dark brown dirt in the form of a strong wind blew through. I noticed the sky was getting darker. Suddenly a mighty gust of wind, carrying with it all sorts of debris, forced its way into town. As I sat in my car, I noticed that it was heading straight for me. The intersection I was sitting at was filled with cars from all directions. No one could even move. I seriously wanted to be anywhere but there.

As the storm hit our area, the winds were of a powerful speed. The trees were bending, the cars were rocking, and debris was hitting me from all sides. I watched as a large piece of cardboard from a local construction site flew passed me. Some objects were in the cloud of dirt and before I could see it I would hear the sound of the flying material banging into my car.

I reached for my cell phone so I could call my daughter at work and realized I had left it charging at home. The only thing I could do was to hold on and trust God for this to end quickly. I had a deep sense of knowing that He loved me and that I would be ok. It was just very scary.

I didn’t know what to do. I held on to the steering wheel and waited to see what would happen next. This lasted for about 60 seconds but it seemed like a lot longer. Momentarily, my world came to a stand still. It was the longest minute I have ever known.

After the blast of the wind of dirt came the hard rain. I was doing all I knew to do to get out of that area, but the traffic was moving very slowly. I don’t know where all the cars came from. I have never seen it so busy. I’m sure everyone had the same idea I did and that was to go and go fast.

But I did manage to work my way around to the bank. Since I did need some cash, I pulled in and rolled down my window. I was pleasantly surprised to smell a wonderful fragrance. In spite of all the dirty wind and hard rain, the earth managed to give off a delightful smell. It was like the heavens had opened and rained flowers on me.

But isn’t this a lot like life? In the midst of our scariest times, frustrating moments, and absolute downpours of too much of a good thing, there are gifts from God. This gift was for anyone who took the time to roll down their windows and breathe in the fresh air.

God allows us to go through the hard times but He has certainly promised us the great times too. Out of what seems like no where, we can find Him and know that He cares for us.

He was there in the storm and the rain. But He was also there to protect me. I was not harmed and from what I could tell, no one else was either. Maybe we were all being tested to trust in Him. I am so glad that I know God in such a personal way that when the storms in life hit me with their best shots, I can know that I will make it.

The Word of God says,

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

He is there for us and longs to refresh us when we need it, protect us from harm and danger, and provide the wisdom we need when we don’t understand the “whys” in life. Call Him today. His phone number is PRAYER. He is always there.