Once, Jesus and his disciples were in a horrific storm on the Sea of

Galilee. Apparently Jesus didn't mind that much because he was in

the hold of the boat enjoying a deep sleep. The disciples - some

of whom were former men of the sea - were scared out of their wits.

They were thinking, "This is it!"

So, they called on their only resource for a time like this. They woke

up the Lord from his siesta. After a little faith and fear talk with

his followers, Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea. The result was astonishing:

the sea became calm. The disciples of Jesus were amazed, asking one another, "What

kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

What is so interesting to me is that Jesus "rebuked" the storm

as he would often rebuke a demon spirit. In Matthew 17:18, we see a man

who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus. The boy would often fall

into fires and into water. Jesus directed the boy to be brought to him.

Matthew's accounting tells us what happened: Jesus rebuked the demon,

the demon came out of the boy, and the boy was cured at once. Wow!

Where do you go from this point? One could ask if anyone rebuked Charley

as he headed toward the Gulf shores of south Florida. Surely there was

a lot of reporting about where Charley was and where he might hit land.

But, did anyone rebuke Charley? The truth is that many people were calling

out to God to steer Charley away from land. I don't doubt a bit

that many prayers were going up at the end of last week.

One could ask just where was God Friday the 13th? Was he spooked, too,

old folks of south Florida? I mean, if there is a God (and I do believe

there is), why didn't he do something to stop Charley in his tracks?

Lives lost! Families devastated! Billions in damage! Retirement plans

of thousands changed overnight! Hundreds, if not thousands, of retirees

now don't have a clue how they will live out the rest of their lives

here on earth!

One could also ask, perhaps, does God care what happened? Is he grieving?

Is his heart broken over precious senior adults who now don't have

a clue about tomorrow? From what I know about God, yes, he is grieving

and compassionately cares for his children of south Florida.

August 13 is not too far from September. 11. Just three years ago, this

country faced horrific tragedy as 3,000 precious souls were swept away

into eternity with four fast jets. At that time also, people asked heavy

questions of God. Where was he September 11, 2001? Could not he derail

the plans of a handful of misguided misfits? Does a corrupt Islam have

greater power than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

You know the rest of the story perhaps better than I. Because on Sept.

11, 2001 I was on my way to East Africa to spend three weeks teaching

on Christian marriage.

The nation grieved as one people three years ago. No one wanted to give

the Democratic response or the Republican response. We came together

and gave an American response. The unity of spirit and deed amazed all

of us as we longed to see it continue. But it didn't.

On September 14, 2001, the Rev. Billy Graham was called on to say some

words on the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. I only caught bits

and pieces of his remarks because the satellite TV at my Ugandan guest

house was going off and on. But, Rev. Graham referred to those things

to which I have already referred in relation to Charley.

But, then he concluded: "Finally, difficult as it may be for us

to see right now, this event can give a message of hope - hope for

the present, and hope for the future. Yes, there is hope. There is hope

for the present because I believe the stage has already been set for

a new spirit in our nation. One of the things we desperately need is

a spiritual renewal in this country. And God has told us in His Word,

time after time, that we are to repent of our sins and we're to

turn to Him and He will bless us in a new way."

Rev. Graham's message rings as clear today as three years ago.

As the United States of America faces trial after trial, the message

of God remains the same. Columbine happened April 20, 1999: teenaged

killers shooting precious children at school. Some thought Columbine

would be the wake-up call we needed. People cried and church houses saw

a modest increase in attendance. But, as soon as Columbine took to the

inside of the newspaper, we went