Thursday; June 9

Fifty years ago, Rapid City, South Dakota and the surrounding Black Hills were inundated by over a dozen inches of rain. In what had already been a wet period, the rains came down and overwhelmed the local river ways and dams. When the Canyon Lake Dam was compromised the community was flooded in one of the greatest natural disasters ever experienced in the area. All-in-all, almost 250 people lost their lives (including Rapid City Police Officer Daniel Wickard whose patrol car was washed away as he tried to warn people of flooding). Reports from fifty years ago indicate over a thousand homes and 5000 cars were destroyed in this rather modest-sized town. The loss (in 1972 dollars) was over $160 million.
As the Rapid City community remembers the devastation from fifty years ago, it is a good reminder to us that we never know what the future holds in store for us. I doubt anyone could have anticipated what would happen that day, but thousands of people were impacted the devastation. While we cannot always predict what might happen in the future (much less prevent it from occurring), we can be prepared for it. No, there isn’t always insurance that will cover all of our losses, but there is a Father in heaven who hears our prayers and will provide us what we need to deal with the aftermath. I can’t say for certain why God allowed dozens of people to die that day, but I do know that He was willing to be there with everyone who survived as they cleaned up their mess and mourned their losses.
We don’t know what will happen in our lives today, but we do know that God is ready to reach out to us as we deal with our personal and community trials. Let’s remember the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4).

Think About It!

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