Australia is known as the land of fires and floods. We have had our share of them, especially in the last 3 years. The area we live in alternates between droughts or floods. The latest trend is flooding.

In 2011, the images were shocking when nearby dam levels rose too high after non-stop rain. The result was a tidal wave that came from inland. A friend of mine was the first person to call emergency when she received a chilling phone call from her sister and parents who were climbing up on the roof after the surging waters hit their house.

“If there was a flood, we would know about it” was the reply she received from emergency services. She turned to social media to get the message out that she was desperate for someone to rescue her family and that a flood was coming.

I remember reading her message and turning on the news. I didn’t believe it myself—as there was nothing on the news that confirmed her statements about an immediate flood. Hers was the first family rescued that day—and it was the main personal story played over and over again in the media. Footage showed water fully enveloping the house and the roof seconds after the helicopter raised them from danger. My friend now says she becomes alarmed during any approaching storm.

Rising fears

This year a pregnant woman with her 18-month-old son had their own dramatic rescue. Travelling on a road that had not yet been closed, she said, “It was like driving through a shallow puddle.” Her truck became stuck and a rush of water flooded through. She spoke of haunting fear when she had zipped her son up in a bag and sent him to the helicopter without her. She was later rescued and reunited with her son, but said, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to drive through a puddle again.”

We know from the Bible these kinds of disasters are only going to get worse. The Scriptures also say that many will not heed these warnings. Most don’t believe such tragedy could happen to them, and many times we don’t think it will happen until it actually does. People get used to seeing and hearing these things, as if it is the new normal.

God’s emergency rescue

I remember a rock-climbing class I took years ago.The teacher said:

 “I’m not worried about you, you are all beginners, you are afraid of falling. You’ll double check all the equipment and do everything to protect yourselves from danger. Those who die from rock-climbing are often experts. They are so used to the dangers of climbing that they will get complacent about their equipment and protection. It leads to their deaths. You are all still afraid for your life, so I don’t worry about you.”

Sometimes we get so used to the spiritual degradation around us that, like those expert climbers, it doesn’t surprise us anymore. We compare ourselves against society instead of against God’s standards. We think we’re okay, but is the puddle deeper than we realize?

Our comfort is that we have a rescuer who hears us, knows everything about us, and what we need. We need to trust Him. He is actively involved in our lives and wants us to call on Him. When the waters are raging around us, He will bring the calm.

God is not only a rescuer of physical dangers, but is with us through spiritual dangers as well. God’s word gives us a warning of what is to come and provides us with spiritual protection especially during these dangerous times. The waters are rising.