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PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: http://www.assistnews.net/
E-mail: assistnews@aol.com
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Miracle in the midst of Cyclone Yasi
‘Battered but not beaten‘
By Dr. Robert and Maureen McQuillan
Special to ASSIST News Service
GEELONG, AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- As news agencies worldwide have reported, Queensland continues to be hit with disasters. Last Wednesday residents endured a night of terror as Category 5 Cyclone Yasi struck Townsville and Cairns delivering 290 kilometers (181 miles) an hour winds and spreading its destructive force inland with effects quickly moving southwards.
A scene of devastion in the path of Cyclone Yasi
Earlier Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, in predicting a "sense of devastation and heartbreak on an unprecedented scale" following Yasi's path, had said that all Australia would need to brace itself for what it would wake up to the morning following.
Many followed warnings and headed for evacuee centers. Some, feeling to remain at home and secure themselves, family and property as best possible, could do no more than wait as the driving rain and intensifying winds began to lash their homes. Interestingly, a staff member at Cairns Disaster Co-ordination Centre requested, "If you pray, pray for us."
Many people believe that nations and individuals facing disaster should indeed pray to a gracious God, known as the loving Father in heaven. This morning at our local church the visiting speaker happened to be from Townsville and mentioned that there are many praying people up there and that several churches were given over to prayer about the recent tragedies and acting as evacuation centers.
Stories are now coming through of God's intervention in answer to such prayers.
Battered yachts after the storm
Our friend, Dr. Roy Rasalam, had only moved up to Townsville from Melbourne mid-January as Head of Clinical Skills, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University. He sent us the following testimony of his family deciding to stay at home and bravely face the danger of Cyclone Yasi, resulting in a never-to-be-forgotten experience of God's protection and grace:
"As we received the full fury of Cyclone Yasi when its ferocity struck Wednesday night, Marilyn and I huddled together in our walk-in-robe with our three children, trying to shield them. Power had been lost at 8pm and the heat was unbearable. But we prayed to God for protection, especially asking him to settle the children. Miraculously his peace enabled all three - eight-year-old Joshua and three-year-old twins James and Carissa - to sleep right through the storm without disturbance or crying!
"And as the eye of the cyclone passed through we could hear the howling and moaning of the winds, lasting several hours and extremely loud. It sounded like the wail of many demonic spirits and was very frightening. Walls and windows shook tremendously and we thought the roof was about to come off at any moment.
"However we prayed incessantly and, being Pentecostal, praised God in our spiritual language throughout the night. We also claimed the power of the blood of Jesus Christ to mark our house and protect us just like Moses had the Israelites' homes marked and protected from the night plague of death in Exodus 12.
The sign ("Battered but not Beaten") says it all "Hours of torrential rain followed the initial fury of Yasi before we saw Thursday's dawn. 100 kilometer (62) miles per hour gale force winds were still buffeting us, but things were much improved compared to the night before. God had graciously heard our prayers. We were all safe and our 25sq single storey home had been fortunately protected from any flooding.
"We had trusted Jesus and the devastating storm passed through like his Luke 6 parable of the house on the rock. Ours stood firm with no damage! The street outside has many broken trees scattered everywhere. There are broken tiles from other houses lying in our garden just below our windows but not one of our windows has been damaged. Currently we have no power, no mobile service, no air conditioning and no phone service. We are living on rations with no fridge or electricity available. All batteries are running low. However, our precious Lord has shown mercy on us and protected us and that is all that matters.
"The last cyclone of similar intensity was almost 100 years ago. We have lived through this one to tell the tale and we give God all the glory!"
In life different kinds of tragedies can hit and terrify us. The challenge comes repeatedly of where we really put our trust. The Rasalam's story is one of trusting their God and the principles taught by Jesus Christ. Sometimes that's all we can do - pray, trust and await in peace for a better tomorrow.
Queensland has already started to recover from tropical Cyclone Yasi's unprecedented fury which stripped bare huge sections of rain forest and like the earlier floods devastated many homes, properties, businesses and lives. But the overcoming attitude already in action is the fighting Queensland spirit of "She'll be right, Mate" equally voiced as "We'll bounce back and do it again."
ASSIST News Service readers are asked to continue in prayer for not only Queensland but also our own state of Victoria which has suffered a ripple effect from Yasi.
Dr. Robert McQuillan is recognized as an inspiring encourager, wordsmith, associate counselor, businesspeople encouragement sessions speaker and Bible teacher on the prophetic edge. He and his wife, Maureen, a gifted communicator with uncanny insight of knowing "where people are at" are regular guest speakers. Their ministry, Life Focus Ministries, is based in Geelong, Australia. They can be contacted by e-mail at: lifefocus1@bigpond.com or check out http://lifefocus.blogspot.com
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