Howdy folks, this is Pastor Kyle. Hope you're doing all right.

So I am in Northwest Iowa at Ingham Lake Bible Camp, speaking at the high school week this week, and I've got my two boys, Tate and Jude, with me here. And so Laura and Jaea and Stella are back home in Clear Lake, doing Vacation Bible School this week and other fun things. Laura sent me a text message today with information about the weather tonight, as many of you probably already know. The text message said, this is from The Weather Channel.

For this evening, widespread destructive wind gusts will be a primary hazard with wind gusts as high as 90 miles an hour, a max of potentially 115 miles an hour. Winds of this magnitude can lead to significant structural damage across the region. Other hazards include flash flooding, large hail, and isolated tornadoes, which are all possible during these thunderstorms.

That's an exciting message to get when you are separated from your family in one place and they are in another, and this weather is supposed to hit both of us. And as I thought about it, I thought, "Gosh, I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to pray." "Um, you know, spare my house and my family." Well, I don't really just want my house and my family to be spared from this, I want everyone to be spared from it. And I didn't know where to start. It's just too big. It's too much. And these storms are going to happen. Um, barring a crazy significant miracle, which I believe happen, but I I these storms are going to happen, and there's going to be damage. And I don't I don't know what to pray. Uh, and so I imagine many of you are in this situation, too. You're worried, you're concerned, you know, not sure what to do. Uh, you pray for safety, but you don't want to just pray for safety for you and your family and your kids. You know, you want safety for everybody in the path of these storms. But we also know that some houses are going to be damaged. Bad things are going to happen. And and I just didn't know where to turn.

And so I just wanted to share with you a prayer that I found that maybe can give us words for, um, our anxiety about the weather this evening.

"O Spirit of God, who hovered over the primal waters of chaos. O Father, who orders all creation. O Christ, through whom all things are formed. In the midst of this chaos, all of this chaos, may we lean and call upon your name, O God. For you are the one who orders all things from the beginning. You are the one who is making all things new. You are the only one who can sustain us in our struggles with all that is not yet right. You are our God of peace, and you alone can speak deep and lasting peace into the chaos and the storms of this world.

Grant peace to us all in the midst of this world's relentless disorder. O Christ. Still our minds and our hearts and strengthen our hands. Keep despair far from the door. Be our present help when we sigh at the sight of disarray. Give us peace of mind and heart. May your mercy carry us through these storms. Amen."

There's another prayer I want to share that's common. It's from the Book of Common Prayer, and it's the prayer you say during Compline, which is the evening prayer time. And I'll close with this. And I just share these with you as as words of prayer, as we look ahead to this evening and the potential for damaging storms that will probably come our way. So I'll close with this petition.

"Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work or watch or weep this night. Give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ, and give rest to the weary. Bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, all for your love's sake. Amen."

May you all know the peace of Christ tonight in the midst of chaos. May you find safety in his arms, no matter what comes.

We'll see you soon and have a safe night, everyone.