God’s Hand in the Storm

When Miles and his family awoke to strange noises in the early morning hours of July Fourth, he was expecting an intruder. Instead, the only unwanted guest was the water rushing through his front door. 

“My daughter’s blue car started moving [in the driveway], and I said ‘Oh, we have trouble,’” Miles remembers, recalling how rising water began sweeping things away. 

His military training kicked in, and he jumped into action. After making sure his family and two small grandchildren were safe in the house, Miles began checking on other neighbors, especially the elderly who live nearby. 

One neighbor with Parkinson’s needed a ride to a nearby hotel that was serving as an emergency shelter. 

Miles then found an older couple who had escaped from their home and was taking shelter in their truck. They only had a blanket wrapped around them for warmth, so Miles returned with other clothing. 

“I’ve seen some [devastating] things in the military,” Miles said, “and this is almost the same thing. Especially when it comes to children, innocent children. They haven’t even lived their lives.” 

In the face of these tragic floods and profound grief, one thing keeps him going. When Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) chaplains asked him what’s sustaining him, his answer was simple: faith.

“Faith is what guides us, it drives us. If you have faith, you will survive,” Miles told them.

He sees evidence of God’s sovereignty and care everywhere. When rushing waters knocked Miles’ privacy fence down, it redirected the flood’s path away from his house. Inside his home, the water line stopped at 6 inches, saving it from greater damage. His wife’s car was in the body shop, away from the water’s reach. 

Many homeowners the chaplains have talked to express their faith in Jesus Christ, but what happens when that faith is put to the test? As the floodwaters receded, Miles had some questions for God. 

“Of all times, Fourth of July—at 4 a.m.?” Miles asked. “‘Why?’ I kept asking Him, ‘Why?’” 

BG-RRT chaplains trained in crisis response helped their brother in Christ see God’s presence, even in the devastation.

“[God] knew this was going to happen,” chaplain Cathy Nordgaarden told Miles. “As you’re telling your story, I’m seeing God all over this place, protecting His child.” 

Cathy shared the Biblical account of Jesus calming the storm.

“When they were safe on the shore, Jesus said, ‘Get in the boat, and I will take you to the other side,’” Cathy told Miles. “If we believe what Jesus says, we know that He will get us to the other side”—no matter the storm raging around us.

Before she left, Cathy handed Miles a few Gospel tracts. 

“Stand strong in the Lord, and you’re going to see the salvation of the Lord in these lives,” she said, gesturing to neighbors and volunteers assessing the damage around him. 

As Miles considered the faithfulness of God, he could already see a new path forward—where God uses this tragedy to change his life and open doors for Gospel conversations in his community. 

“I think my faith is going to grow stronger after this,” he said, grateful for the chaplains’ ministry to him. “This changed the way I look at things.”