Time passes with heavy, worry-laden slowness when you’re waiting for a cyclone.
It is not a “calm before the storm” kind of waiting either.
No, what I felt was regret, what-if, if-only. And astonishment.
Regret that I had not renovated our house. Worrying that, since our house is mainly old rusting tin and damp-damaged wood, I did not know where else we could go. Deep regret that I had allowed other people’s opinions and feelings to affect my decision about our house.
I was scared.
The Forecast
When a tropical cyclone is forecast, the weather does not remain clear and sunny until it hits. You will already have to contend with gale force winds and lashings of stinging rain.
A category 1 or category 2 tropical cyclone is okay if you’re already used to cyclones, but a category 3 or higher can cause serious damage.
Monday evening of the long Easter weekend. I was getting mentally ready for the start of another work week when my sister told me that a cyclone was forecast to hit us the next day.
Wait, what? What cyclone? I didn’t even know that there was a cyclone in our region, let alone that one was heading our way. Sure, we had some very hot days and heavy rain, but that was expected during the months of November to April, what we call our wet season, or cyclone season.
But, alas, the alert and warning on the Fiji Meteorological website was clear enough.
A tropical depression had developed into a tropical cyclone, now named Vaianu.
Tropical cyclone Vaianu quickly developed from a category 2 to a category 3.
The Waiting
Tuesday morning was a thunderstorm.
I waited for a lull in the rain and speed-walked through the village to the main road, where I caught a minivan to work.
The roads were already flooded, and still the rain came down so strong and hard, reducing visibility. Vehicles slowed to a crawl. I was so determined to reach the office that I was prepared to walk there.
Thankfully, the minivan driver managed to navigate his way through the floodwaters and I reached my stop. I waded through the ankle-deep water that covered the path between the bus stop and the office building, and was grateful to get inside.
The forecast had changed and now Vaianu was expected on Wednesday. I stayed for about an hour and left due to transport problems. Finding transport back home would be near impossible in such weather. Another minivan came to the rescue.
Wind and rain continued as I made my way home through the village. The power, which had gone off sometime on Monday night, was still off. It wouldn’t come back on until late Wednesday afternoon.
The Lesson
If tropical cyclone Vaianu was now going to hit us on Wednesday, then it would be a big one. It was only Tuesday afternoon and it already felt like we were in the middle of the cyclone.
As I sat there listening, waiting, I thought of how life goes on.
Even though there is war in the Middle East, with the US-Israeli conflict against Iran, and Christians being massacred in Nigeria, and various other events happening in other countries, a tropical cyclone was tearing through our part of the South Pacific.
It was as if God was saying, “Okay, you are all too complacent about this. You’re not paying attention to what I’m doing. I’m moving things. I’m touching people. I’m shaking the nations. Here is a war, people are dying, and you are all just going on about your day as if this will all blow over in a weekend? No, I’m sending you this cyclone to kick-start your lazy hearts again.”
But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let the earth keep silence before Him.
Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV
After my emotions ran through the regrets and the worry, and yes, the fear, that verse from Habakkuk kept coming to me.
Graciously, the Holy Spirit calmed my thoughts and emotions. He assured me that yes, the LORD God is still in full and complete control. Always was and always will be.
The Holy Spirit led me to a prayer I have prayed many times before. And over and over again, He prompted me to declare that our house and home, and my family and I are covered with the Blood of Jesus Christ.
It occurred to me that waiting for tropical cyclone Vaianu was like waiting for the return of Jesus Christ.
We are alerted about the cyclone and are warned to prepare for it. Just like the Bible’s warning about Christ’s return and that we must prepare ourselves for Him.
Between the alert and the event, things happen, good things, bad things, distractions or growth.
We get scared and regret things, but when we calm down from our self-induced panic, and listen to that “still small voice” that comes through loud and clear, even through a thundering cyclone, aah, what peace.
The Aftermath
Various villages and towns are still without water and power. Homes were flooded, and trees fell, and power lines were destroyed.
The Solomon Islands were badly hit and they need help. If you are led to help them, please do so. Scroll down for donation links.
Our home was unscathed. Maybe it was because Vaianu did not fully hit us on Tuesday or Wednesday, at least not with full force. But I believe that it was helped a little by the prayer that the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray and declare over us.
We are covered in the Blood of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Your Response
But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let the earth keep silence before Him.
Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV
Waiting Before the Storm – A Quiet Devotional
We all go through seasons when life feels heavy. Times when we are so burdened, so tired, exhausted, that all we can do is brace ourselves for what may come.
Those are when we are most vulnerable to fear, regret, and restlessness.
But God does not panic. He never rushes into indecision. He never decides out of fear.
He is God.
He remains steady. Present. In control.
And He invites us not to strive, but to be still before Him.
Journal Prompts
- What am I currently waiting for?
- What fears or regrets are in me in this season?
- What would it look like for me to be still before God right now?
- Where have I seen God’s faithfulness in past storms?
Prayer
O LORD God, hear my prayer for I am restless and uncertain. Please steady me. For You are my God, my refuge and my fortress.
You can never be shaken. Teach me to be still before You. To trust You, even when I do not understand what is coming.
You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Cover me with Your peace, and remind me that You are in control.
I declare that my family and I are covered, protected, and sealed with the Blood of Jesus Christ!
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I pray and declare this. Amen.
How You Can Help After the Cyclone
We’ve been hit by quiet a few cyclones over the years, and what I’ve realised is, in the aftermath of a cyclone, the needs of a community become very simple: Clean water, food, shelter, and light.
If you want to donate to the people who were affected by the recent tropical cyclones here in the South Pacific region, in island nations like the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and here in the Fiji Islands, I suggest you do the following aided and buttressed by prayer for the Holy Spirit’s direction…
- If you personally know people whose houses and lives were affected by the recent cyclones Vaianu or Maila, it is best to help them directly.
- If you know and trust a relief organization, please donate to their relief work for the affected regions.
- If you do have the opportunity to give physical items through a local drive or church, please consider the following items:
- Bibles – if you do not have them in the local languages, a NKJV or NIV Bible would be the next best thing.
- Bottled clean drinking water
- Non-perishable food (canned goods, rice, biscuits, noodles, etc)
- Ready-to-eat items (things that do not require cooking)
- Basic cooking items (portable stoves, fuel, or solar-powered cooking kits – if safe to send)
- Tarpaulins or heavy-duty plastic sheets (for damaged rooms)
- Waterproof tents for those who lost their homes
- Blankets, sleeping bags, or sleeping mats
- Clean dry clothes and undergarments
- Mosquito nets
- Mosquito coils (Goldeer, Mortein, are good brands available locally)
- Candles, torches
- Matches, lighters and other lighting materials
- Solar-powered lights, solar lamps or chargers
- Antibacterial wipes, hand sanitisers, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes
- Sanitary products for women and girls
- Toilet paper
- Garbage bags
- Buckets and water containers
- Disinfectants and cleaning suppliers (very important for those whose homes got flooded)
- First aid kits
- Bandages, antiseptic creams
- Common medications (for pain relief, fever, etc)
- Hand sanitisers
- School suppliers, children’s books and toys
In a way, relief work mirrors the heart of God, meeting people not in abundance, but in need, and providing just enough for the moment.
If you are not able to give financially or materially, you can still give in another way.
You can pray. For provision, and protection, and for those who have lost more than they can easily rebuild.
The LORD sees them, and He is near.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 NKJV
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