Seeking Shelter from the Storm That’s Coming – What’s YOUR Plan? A MUST READ!

January 16, 2026 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde

I love adventure, and my life has been filled with plenty of it. I’m grateful for a wife, family and friends who enjoy pushing things to the very limit. It has indeed been a very fun life.

These adventures have also served a teaching purpose and have led to a stronger conviction and understanding of a God who will ALWAYS help and guide me, as well as protect my family.

It started out as a beautiful day, one summer morning. We were off again on a frequent visit to the lake, high in the mountains. It is a beautiful place to be. The lake sits in a valley, surrounded by majestic mountains. The sandy beaches are inviting and seem to call us all to take a moment and relax.

This day would be like any other day on the lake… seeing the kids push their limits in wakeboarding or waterskiing. The goal of jumping the entire wake seemed to be the focus of the day. Filled with entertaining crashes, as well as the fulfilling emotion of watching them succeed, it was all that a person could ask for in a family experience.

On this lake, things can change in a hurry. I looked up at one of the mountains and saw a horrifying sight. Dark clouds seemed to be clawing over the mountaintop and rushing down like a “storm avalanche.” We needed to get off the lake—and to do it NOW!

There was no hesitation from the kids to climb up on the boat, for they knew the drill. Safety became the urgent agenda, and they were very much aware of what might happen, for we had been caught in a storm on a lake before.

As we headed back to the dock to trailer the boat, we came upon what would be a decision that produced consequences we were not expecting.

There was a young couple in the water in the middle of the lake. They had fallen from their wave runner—no life jackets, and a machine that would not start. What would we do? Do we save this couple and put my own kids at risk, or continue to hammer down to get off the water? The storm began to build, and it started to get very ugly.

It wasn’t really a decision at all…We helped them get onto our boat, and I rigged a line to pull their wave runner to tow it to the beach. We dropped them off, safe now—but our adventure was just about to begin.

Lightning flashed like explosions all around. It began to rain, then hailstones began pounding all of us. This was not just a storm; it was a microburst.

A microburst is a powerful, localized downdraft of sinking air from a thunderstorm that hits the ground and spreads out in damaging, straight-line winds, posing significant threats to property. They are often mistaken for tornadoes due to their violent characteristics. Their winds can be as strong as 100 miles per hour. This was what we were now facing. This was the danger that threatened my family.

The waves were up over the boat now, and though we had made it to the boat ramp, it was of no use to anyone. Boats were sideways, and so were all of the trucks that had pulled down in an effort to take their boats off the lake. They were not getting anywhere, and I knew that I needed to get my wife and kids off this boat.

We slammed into the shore with great force. I did everything I could to get them safely onto the shore, instructing them to seek shelter in our truck that was parked on top of the boat ramp. They ran, shielding their heads with their life jackets as the hailstones pounded down upon them relentlessly.

My focus shifted to our boat. With no other option, I held onto it, keeping it on the shoreline. I could hear the rocks pounding on the bottom of the boat, and I knew it was being destroyed—yet I held onto it as best I could. I could save this boat from sinking, and I would give it all I had to accomplish this.

The drama continued to unfold up on the hill with my family. I had forgotten to give them the keys to the truck… and they were locked out, exposed to this terrible storm. A key item missed due to the threat consuming my mind.

But then, a rescue came to them for them—not by way of a ranger nor outside help—but through seeing the safe haven that lay in the wells of our truck. It was lifted six inches, and there was plenty of room for them to crawl up into the wheel wells or under the truck for safety. They all chose the wheel wells, as it kept them from the flowing water rushing underneath the truck. They were safe—grounded by the rubber tires and out of the pounding storm. God had saved my kids and had given them a rescue plan for safety.

The storm continued to rage for about 30 minutes… and then… it was still. As I looked around, there were parts of boats sticking out of the water after they had sunk. Boats were hurled into trucks on the ramp—the damage was substantial. Our boat was still on the shore… sideways and going nowhere.

I ran up the ramp to check on my family. To my surprise, they were not in the truck. Where were they?  “Dad… we’re right here!” came a familiar voice.

I looked and saw they were tucked away in the wheel wells of the truck and had quite the story to tell me. They excitedly told me of the prayers of safety they had said and of being led to a safe place.

I felt awful that I had failed them by not giving them the keys, but I was also extremely proud of them for following the promptings of a loving God. I was touched that they believed in ANOTHER Father—one they could always count on to keep them safe. This was more than just a storm… it was a testimony in the making. It was evidence to my kids that God does exist and that He heard their prayers. Priceless teachings, delivered through something as traumatic as a microburst storm.

My boat needed substantial repairs to the underlying structure. But it was not about the damage—it was about the growth, safety, and protection that my family and I received as a result of this storm.

You cannot put a price on the knowledge and BELIEF that a person can have in a loving Father in Heaven whom you can always rely on. You cannot plan every detail for every challenge you will face in life—for you will likely even do something wrong in your plan. But knowing I can place my trust in God is PRICELESS.

I’ve also learned so many things from experiences like this, which our family has had. We can pray for “great weather” at the start of the day, but great weather isn’t always the answer God gives. GREAT experiences, GREAT testimony-building, GREAT safety, and GREAT expressions of love are what you can always expect from God.

When God doesn’t answer a prayer with great weather, He is answering it in a very different way. Our job is NOT to challenge the fact that He isn’t there because we had bad weather. Our job is to see the answers in how He responds to our prayers.

Even if you are a person who enjoys sitting on the couch, the same teachings from experiences like these apply to you as well. Many of us will face “emotional” storms in life, or even doubts that God exists. I invite you to see the storm as the answer you are looking for. WHAT ARE THE WHISPERINGS you are hearing from a very protective Father in Heaven? Are you listening to what He is telling you, or are you complaining about the storm?

In my life, I have learned that having faith does not mean that the thing you are praying for will come true if you believe hard enough. Having FAITH means trusting God in how He answers your prayers. Great faith is demonstrated when prayers are answered with a storm instead of a waveless lake. Faith is seeing the growth and protection given to a family who seeks Him—even during a life-threatening event.

If you live by watching the news, you are overwhelmed with all the storms coming upon the earth—storms of war, storms of hate and violence.

But I invite you to climb up into the wheel wells of my truck, for there is peace, comfort, and safety there. That protection comes from God—not my truck. He will hear you. TRUST His outcome, for there is peace and safety there, regardless of the storm raging on this planet.

There are people, including myself, who say, “I KNOW that God is real, and that He hears and answers my prayers.” Are you one who wears this badge of courage? If not, let’s get you there. YOU TOO can have this same comfort of safety. You too can know a Father who will always lead you through the storm. Is there any greater comfort than this? There is NOT!

This conviction begins with a very simple process: “Just go talk to Him right now.” Find a quiet place, kneel down, and talk to God. It doesn’t have to be in “God language” for Him to hear you. Just talk to Him like you would your earthly father—always with respect. 🙂

Ask Him to help you get to know Him. Invite Him into your home and your life. He will teach you about His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He sent to this earth to die so your sins could be forgiven. Get to know Jesus Christ—after all, He is a Brother who died for you.

God will prompt you to kneel down and repent of your mistakes. Then He will help you know that you are forgiven, for this is how the Atonement works. You do not need to live a perfect life—you need to belong to a perfect Person: Jesus Christ. We trust and know that if we accept His atoning sacrifice, that we will be forgiven of our sins, and that we will live with Him in heaven.

If you follow this feeling that you are now having to know God and Jesus Christ, you will discover the peace I feel—knowing a storm is coming, but also knowing the safety of the wheel wells of my truck. I have NO fear because of this, and you can too. It can start with a simple prayer. Please go do it now.

I will continue my adventurous life—though with age, I’ve learned the danger of falling off the toilet, so my activities have changed a bit.

But what hasn’t changed is my desire to rescue people stranded on a lake when a storm is coming, and my belief in a God who will always show me the way forward, in spite of the storm.

My prayers are with you.