I Just Wanted to Get Out Alive

It was a duck hunting trip gone bad. It happened one Thanksgiving several years ago. Mark, a close family friend, my son (then around eleven years old), and I were hunting on land owned by some of Mark’s family. It was full of creeks and sloughs, and Mark had hunted on it for years. It was a fairly warm afternoon when we started out, and we were able to shoot several ducks. It was late afternoon when the storm blew in: torrential rain and a rapid drop in temperature.

I had not thought much about that day in several years. But when Mark called the other day and mentioned it ... all the memories came flooding back. I remember how dark it immediately got, and how wet we were. I remember worrying about how cold we were getting. The creek quickly overflowed and in just a few minutes, we were in trouble. We had gotten lost. Darkness took away the landmarks, rain obscured everything, and the overflowing water all looked the same.

We had decided that if we could not find the trail back to camp, we would dig in under some leaves, put my son between us and hope to survive the night. We thought we were close to finding the way out but it was too dark and too hard to see. We had just decided to give up and try to ride out the storm when a lightening bolt split the sky. And there it was ... the trail was not fifteen yards in front of us. We still had a rough time getting out; we had some creeks to wade, and a hard walk ... but we made it out alive and we survived.

We were asking God’s help and protection. And we give God the credit for the lightening bolt that showed us the way home. I believe it is by His mercy that we survived. But there are lessons I need to remember about my relationship with God that I learned in that storm. There are lessons about life I need to remember.

It was my fault we got caught in that storm. I did not check the weather report, we did not dress appropriately, and I did not have matches, compass, or flashlight. Life is like that sometimes. Storms come when we do not expect them. And they come when we are not prepared for them. Many times I have to face the fact that the storms of life are my fault. I don’t always think things through, I am not always prepared, and I do not see trouble coming.

Yet God delivered me. He did it on that day, but even more amazing, he has delivered me in life. I have hope, joy, peace, and purpose because God has chosen to save me. Storms still come in my life, just like they do in yours. I face them with confidence because I trust God to deliver me safe. He has before, and He will again.

If you want to know more about how to survive the storms of life, visit www.hopeforlife.org . Or write me at steve@hopeforlife.org.

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