This is a recent satellite image of Hurricane Matthew, as it barreled through Haiti and now making its way through Bahamas. The US is its main impact point scheduled for late Thursday going into Friday.

Interesting that it has the face of a smiling skull. This is a non-doctored photo by the way.

The Bible says that God has His way in the whirlwind (tornadoes, typhoons, hurricanes) and the storm. It calls storm clouds the dust of His feet. *Nahum 1:3

In Isaiah 19:1 it states: "The Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; the idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them."

Isaiah 29:6 says "From the Lord of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with whirlwind (tornadoes, typhoons and hurricanes) and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

People need to understand that storms and winds obey God's command. They are His servants. Jesus proved this when He rebuked the storm winds and the raging sea - and the weather obeyed Him. God often uses storms and other inclement weather to execute His commands.

There are towns in America for instance that had severe race problems in the past. Typically shortly after a lynching took place, a tornado would come through and level every building and house in town. There are towns in Louisiana that no longer exist due to hurricanes making them obsolete. Louisiana had some of the worst race problems in the past, as did many other states.

Once when Charles Mason, the founder of the Church of God In Christ was wrongfully incarcerated and mistreated in a town in Mississippi, that night a strong wind came out of nowhere and tore the roof off the jail and courthouse. The next day the town judge set him free and dropped all charges. Probably paid for his train passage out of town too.

In 1901 Pierce City, MO ran all of their black residents out of town. This came after a night of unbridled massacre where whites attacked and killed black residents. 102 years later an F-3 tornado leveled or damaged every house and building in the city, only skipping a few.

Residents fled to a nearby National Guard Armory that doubled as a storm shelter: the same armory where the white residents borrowed guns and firearms to use against their black neighbors 100 years earlier. The roof collapsed due to the strong winds, killing a person on the inside and wounding several others.

I could give one example after another about how God uses storms to do His bidding; especially during times of severe racial problems in the country. We should always look for the message in the storm. Is God speaking? What's He saying?

Is He pleased with our lifestyle choices, our laws, with the way we've been treating one another? Is He calling for change? And most important of all: are we prepared to give Him the change He desires? Remember: He's the boss, not us. That's what being "Lord" means. And if we're not willing to listen to these storms - what does God need to send in order to get our attention?

Anyway, my prayers are for the saints and Christians in Haiti, Bahamas, Cuba, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas along the east coast, and wherever else this storm passes through. This is not going to be a pretty one. I pray that God protects His people in the midst of the storm.

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