Somehow I made it through my message Sunday morning, February 13th. I was desperately ill. Sinus infection coupled with either bronchitis or pneumonia had me in an awful state. We cancelled our evening small group study. This has been a punishing winter. I was unable to do more than rise from the bed for a few minutes at a time.

Weather reports were beginning to filter in for Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, Monday morning, I took my wife’s advice and called my doctor for an appointment. “Tuesday at 2:15,” the receptionist said. “I hope I can drag myself in there,” I remembered thinking. And, I hoped the weather would let me.

Big Storm Ahead

Tuesday morning came and the local radio station began updating its weather forecast. As the morning progressed, the promise of a big wet snowstorm was broadcast every few minutes. “This will be a big one, folks. We’ll have rain changing to snow early tomorrow morning.”

Both our local station and those in Lansing began revising the coming snowfall. First it was stated at two to four inches. Then four to six inches were promised. By noon there were hints that it might reach eight to nine inches, all over the area, coming in from the south.
What to Do?

When my wife was leaving for work Tuesday morning we talked about the coming storm. She quickly agreed with me that I was in no shape to run the snowplow tractor, or even leave the house. I would be doing well to keep my doctor’s appointment.

As I watched the clock and tried to get ready for my appointment, I began to get a strange sensation that God wanted me to pray about the weather. No great fan of Michigan cold weather, I usually just endure it. But, today I felt differently. “I’m too sick to shovel snow,” I thought, “and I know I’m not likely to get better anytime soon. If we have the kind of snow they’re talking about, the tractor will be snowed in too. It always drifts in front of the storage building.”

I went to the phone and called my wife’s work number. As I did, I wondered what she would think.

Prayer Partners

“Honey, will you pray with me about the weather. They say there’s going to be a big snowstorm following all this rain early tomorrow. It may reach eight or nine inches. We’ll never be able to move it.”

Jane assured me she would pray about it and we finished our conversation.

I had about an hour before my appointment. I picked up the phone and called one of our prayer warriors. Katie is blind and the wife of one of our deacons. She loves the Lord and is faithful to pray. I told her about the coming storm. She already knew about it. Yes, she would pray about it. “Katie, let’s just pray this one on over. God knows we’ll never be able to move it. I can’t even walk to the storage building, much less do anything on the tractor.” Katie assured me she’d be praying about it.

It was raining when I left for the doctor’s office. It was just a little above the freezing mark. As I drove through the streets to Hillsdale, I took stock of the weather: “Wow, look at all this rain. If this changes over to snow, we’re a dead duck. Please, Lord, get us out of this one.”

“I’m All Ready

Back from my appointment and a stop at the pharmacy, the phone rang. It was a friend to whom I had been witnessing for a couple of years. He called to ask about me and was surprised to know I was sick. He began bringing me up to date on the weather. “We’re goin’ to have a big storm. Nine or ten inches they say. I’m all ready this time. I got my cars turned around headed out, got my food laid in, and I’m just goin’ ta sit back and watch it snow!” Inwardly I groaned. “And he lives right here in Jonesville,” I thought.

Nightfall

At four o’clock I took the first of my new medicine. I was reeling in weakness and very sore from hundreds of coughs. I reminded the Lord of how sick I was. “Lord, this coming storm is heart attach snow. You know we’ll lose our Sunday services if it is as bad as they say it will be.”

As darkness came on early that Tuesday evening, Jane, now home from work, did what she could be make me comfortable. It was pouring rain. The words of my friend from Jonesville came back to me: “It’s goin’ to rain ‘til nine o’clock and then change over to snow about ten.” I prayed again.

Well into a third week with this sickness, I tried to stay up for awhile in the evenings to make sure I could sleep through the night. It hadn’t worked very well, but the thought of lying awake in misery kept me moving around a little until about 9:30. I looked out on the parking lot. It was still raining. Exhausted, I retreated to the bedroom.

The Big Storm

As I lay down in bed, I sensed a strange feeling of confidence I’ve seldom felt before. I prayed: “Please, Lord Jesus, You know we’ve had lots of rain. We don’t need the moisture in the ground. Please don’t let this big storm come. You know it’ll shut us down.” I fell asleep.

About four o’clock, I was awakened to the need to use the bathroom. I felt terrible. “Sure hope that new medicine’s working,” I thought as I made my way slowly down the hall to the bathroom. Finished there, I decided to go into the living room and look out to see if it had snowed. As I headed for the east windows to part the curtains for a look, I felt, again, a strange sensation. I stopped and clasped my hands together. “No, Lord Jesus, I’m not going to look out. You know what we need. Please don’t send this big snow. I promise to praise You for answering my prayer.” I turned and made my way back to bed.

Morning

When I’m in good health, I try to rise each morning through the week at five forty-five. Now, so weak, so sick, I hardly cared when I got up. As I recall, it was about six-thirty when I awoke. I made my way, the best I could, to the living room. The security lights would afford me a good look at the outside. I parted the curtains.

“Thank you, sweet Jesus,” I remembered crying aloud. A mere trace of snow was being swirled by a light wind this Wednesday morning, up and down the sidewalk. No snow! “Honey, it didn’t snow!” Jane and I were jubilant.

It was the eight-o’clock report on the local radio station. They started their newscast: “We don’t know what happened. We didn’t get our big snow.” I switched to the Lansing station I hear each day. “We didn’t get the big snow we were supposed to get.” I couldn’t tell if they were glad or disappointed. I knew how I felt.

I stood in the middle of the living room. I remember clasping my hands again. “Thank you, dear Jesus. I promised to thank you. I love you. Thank you so much.”

My wife got off to work easily. I called Katie. We rejoiced.

Later in the morning two television reporters were talking. They looked at each other and wondered aloud. “Maybe the rain took up all the snow,” they said. They didn’t know what happened. I knew! “Thank you, Jesus! I don’t deserve all your precious blessings. But, I thank you for them.”

Late in the morning, the phone rang. It was my well-prepared friend from Jonesville. “Well, what do you know, it didn’t snow, ” he mused. After a few moments I told him what we had done, how we had prayed. He was silent for a moment. “I believe it,” he quietly said.

I get no credit for having a lot of faith. I am sure my prayer partners feel the same way. I only know how good God is. I’m so glad to know that when I have my back to the wall, God still loves me and is looking out for me. Thank You, Jesus!