Nature is in God's Hands

I've often said that Iowa is God's country and I'm beginning to believe He wants it back!

He told Noah that He would never destroy the earth again by flood, but wow, these last several years have made me wonder if He just wants Iowa all to Himself!  Incredible amounts of rain!!!

In all the time we've owned this property, we've never had more than one flood come up into the meadow.  Most years pass without any flooding at all.  So far this year, the meadow has been flooded five times.  I'm thankful that we have the land there for the river to flow into and through.  I'd love to think that maybe it was giving someone else a break, but I'm afraid that's not even true. 

As I drove north on Highway 17 this afternoon, I was shocked by the amount of water in the fields and in the ditches.  Before I left, the Iowa DOT site had said that the road was closed 3 miles south of Stanhope because of flooding.  I wasn't too worried, if I could get that close, I could dodge around county roads and make my way in.  By the time I drove through, the water had receded enough and the DOT was there clearing the mud off the road, it was easily passable.  The weirdest thing was that I would usually choose to travel around Des Moines and take I-35 north if there's trouble on state roads, but for heaven's sake that was closed between Ankeny and Ames.  Are you kidding me?

But, there were many, many places along the road where the ditches were completely filled and water was standing in the shoulders.  The thing about Iowa?  We don't have terribly shallow ditches.  This is a lot of water!!!  Yards and fields are now lakes ... I've been watching crops just wilt and fall apart in huge patches because ground saturation as I drive and I know that this part of the state is probably in better shape than many others!

We are never prepared to live in an environment that we don't control.  As Americans, we feel that this is one of our rights.  We control our destiny, we control our environment, we control our own lives.

As human beings on this earth, it is often startling to realize that we control very little.  The rains will fall, the earthquakes will shake, the tornadoes will destroy and we will hide in terror at the power before us.

I am so thankful that I know the Creator and that I can call myself His friend.  Because when push comes to shove, I'm not going to win against nature, but He will ... I'll just have to wait and see what it is He is going to do!