[Editor's Note: The following article was written in September of 2004.]

Folks in Florida probably think that the Weather Channel has something against them. It appears as though the Sunshine State is facing yet another violent hurricane. First, it was Charles, then it was Frances, now it is Ivan--and he's a category five storm with winds in excess of 156 mph.

This recent trio of atmospheric events serves as a metaphor for life. While you and I try to pick up from the effects of earlier tempests, yet another one looms on the horizon (cf. Job 1-2). Impending emotional pressures look to drench us like a driving rain. Additional stresses promise to surround our hearts like rushing floodwaters. Our spiritual resources are already depleted, and the thought of facing yet another climatic assault seems impossible.

So how do we prepare for Ivan when we're still reeling from his siblings (Psalm 55:8)? It sounds simplistic, but it's profound. Remember that no storm is stronger than the Savior. Our personal hurricanes are never beyond his divine control. The Psalmist wrote, "For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea...He calms the storm, so that its waves are still" (Psalms 107:25, 29; cf. 83:15; 135:7; 147:18; Job 26:12; Matthew 5:45; Mark 4:35-41).

Dear friend, are you facing another hurricane in your life? Don't try to "ride it out" yourself. The wind and the waves obey the Lord's will. Let him take charge (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 78:26). He can handle Ivan.