The Flood: God’s Provisions and Plans, and Lessons Learned
I
By Bibs Babson
remember October 3 and 4 as if it were yesterday. That Saturday night I had prepared my lesson of Abram and Sarai. I was having trouble keeping all of their journey straight. Was Shechem before or after Bethel? It would be okay, the children would hear the message of God’s provisions in each place and how he kept them safe. As Sunday morning approached, I laid in bed counting the seconds between the on and off cycle of the three sump pumps under our house. Finally hearing gurgling coming from the toilet, I decided we might better check out what in the world was going on. As John opened the back door, all we could see was a wall of water headed toward us. He told me to go get towels, but before I even reached the linen closet I was ankle deep in muck.
We found ourselves in a hotel in Blythewood. This would turn into our Bethel. We were starving and the love and kindness showed to us by the hotel staff and a precious waitress at Lizard’s Thicket was nothing but divine intervention. We then found ourselves in a small duplex for the next seven months. An Egypt of sorts. We knew the Lord was going to be with us, but we were scared of what lay ahead.
John told me to grab clothes and the dog. I grabbed yoga pants and found Sammy (our dog) swimming in my closet. As we made our way up the stairs John found my Bible on the counter and tossed it up the stairs to me. We were now trapped in Brooks’ room; our Shechem. I wasn’t ready to leave our house; our Haran. There was a lot of praying going on and also some funny stories that helped us realize that God was with us and was going to keep us safe. As people came from near and far to help pack up our home, news came that another dam was in danger of breaking.
Two weeks following the flood, Dean Jones called me to ask if I would consider stepping into the role of Director of Children’s Ministries. Can you imagine my shock? Hammond had been my home for years and years and now was really the only “home” I had. I couldn’t walk away from what I considered my home; but the Lord kept calling and so did our Dean. Abram walked away from his home for God’s promise of even greater blessing, but I was comfortable and secure. However, after much prayer, discerning and listening, John and I realized the Lord was leading me to a place of greater service and usefulness for him. We obeyed and here we are at home, at last in our Hebron. The Lord’s provisions are simply too many to name through this journey and we are eternally grateful. Lessons learned: There is a huge difference between want and need. Listen! Don’t miss out on God’s plan for you. God’s will be done!