I recently survived Hurricane Irma. I also witnessed a miracle. A sign?
Irma was a category 4 storm when she crossed over our shores.
We watched her approach, some even predicting a category 6 or 7, as she devastated Caribbean islands south of us. I live in the state of Florida on the southeastern border of the United States. My home is on the edge of a big finger of land sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. We get hurricanes from all ends.
Last September, we faced a few head on. Irma was the one that got my town. And, yet, while we expected the worst and fled the state with about 70 percent of the population, Irma did very little real damage, at least in comparison to other hurricanes. She certainly didn't bring the floods that we all expected. We had just seen the damage of Hurricane Harvey on the state of Texas. We expected our little finger of Florida to go under water. It did not.
That is why I am writing about miracles today. I truly believe we Floridians had a solid miracle event occur. I believe we had a miracle of water. I count it as yet another beautiful and prophetic sign from our Holy Lord Yahweh Jesus.
See, here is how it breaks down. Hurricane Irma was packing major winds, clocked close to 150 mph in the week leading up to the moment she hit our town. But, not just wind. A few days before she hit us, as we all watched with anticipation trying to decide if we should stay or go, something happened.
What? What do I call a miracle?
The water disappeared. Well, not really 'disappeared'. Let's say, the ocean and gulf receded. As Irma approached Florida from the southeast, people who lived along the shores of Cuba, Bahamas, and Florida began to see the water in their bays receding. For as far as the eye could see, the water was gone. Boats laying on their sides next to dry docks, Ships laying in harbors.
Water. Poof ... Gone. We thought one thing when we saw a friend in Cuba post a pic of a dry Atlantic Ocean on Facebook: "That water is headed here ... to Florida." We then saw the pictures from the Bahamas. Same thing, ocean gone.
We thought of one word: Tsunami.
That's when we packed and left. In a car with two kids, grandparents, dogs, a cat, and a bird, I drove north. Far north. Like a good Floridian, we hit the road, Jack.
The receding water made its way all the way up the coast of Florida from Miami to Tampa. Rivers dry. Tampa Bay dry enough for Moses to cross. Like in Cuba, just days before Irma hit our coast, the waters receded. Many called it a reverse storm surge and some call it a fluke of a hurricane. Like Moses, I call it a miracle.
See, the day before the water receded, Mexico had an earthquake. I think that earthquake is to thank for the reverse surge, not Irma. And, I think God is to thank for it all, especially the glorious miracle. Florida did not go underwater! Thank you, Jesus!
" But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth." (Revelation 12:16)
Now, I know many will say a reverse storm surge or earthquake is just nature or science, but I say it is the timing of the storm surge that matters. The timing is the miracle! And, our good Lord is always right on time!!!
Read more about how earthquakes can cause this to happen:
https://www.greeka.com/cyclades/santorini/santorini-volcano/biblical.htm
Blessings, Gator