A Violent Gust Of Wind...And The Presence Of God

By Christian Javois

This book was written to tell of an extraordinary experience of divine intervention prior to, during, and post-Hurricane Maria's impact on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. It is excerpt from a man's daily diary detailing the display of the power of God and how His presence was experienced on a day-to-day basis, over a twenty-seven-day time frame. The narrative provides the details of this man's efforts to get to St. Croix to be with his mother and sister to help them make adequate preparations for the pending storms. What began as a humanitarian endeavor expected to last eight days turned into a twenty-seven-day life-changing experience of the presence of God""experienced through very specific and timely answers to prayer, especially when the social, banking, and commercial infrastructures were impaired. The daily survival vigil common post-hurricane events were transformed from an effort to "make ends meet" to a test of what God could perform in answer to prayer. Ordinary lives undergoing extraordinary change as two people became living witnesses of God's ability in response to mere human pleas for intervention and help. He details how their days were lived, how needs were met, what they did, and the impact of what they saw on their lives. This true story lends hope to the hopeless and encouragement to the discouraged, heralding that what the prophet Jeremiah wrote is true: "Call unto Me and I will answer you, and will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642585858

Book preview

cover.jpg

A Violent Gust Of Wind...And The Presence Of God

Christian Javois

ISBN 978-1-64258-584-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64258-585-8 (Digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Christian Javois

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

And there comes a violent gust of wind. (Mark 4:35–41)

Preface

Why did I write this brief narrative of our twenty-seven-day experience? There are times in our lives when the events we experience are so poignant that to remain silent rather than heralding to our generation is tantamount to withholding sustenance from starving souls. When John wrote of the Lord Jesus, he said, We were eyewitnesses of His majesty! They told their generation, and the world, that they walked, talked, ate with the Son of God, and that experience was life transfor ming.

Our family’s experience of Hurricane Maria was filled with a few days of experiencing the grace of God amid human hardships. My sister (affectionately called Katie) and I lived through the most amazing experience of God’s presence, loving-kindness, and power that often left us speechless. His presence caused us to break out in praise when God showed up, as she would often say, and at times brought to tears as we wondered Why us? Our days often began with personal private devotions followed by a meal together with our dear aged mother, leading to an itemization of what were the critical and noncritical needs of the day, ending with supplicating the Lord to crown our needs with His marvelous ability to answer. My dear friends, relatives, and even skeptics . . . God showed up. Marvelously!

One last word of caution. This account is accurate. We experienced it, and it is told to you as it occurred. Some events may not fit your spiritual frame of reference and practice. I understand completely. When the social infrastructure you’re accustomed to is dismantled and you are without electricity, access to food, necessary resources, and are faced with a precarious limited window for survival, all that you hold dear and believe will be tested as never before. I avoid embellishing the incidents as I am answerable to a Holy God, who, without regard of persons, judges according to the work of each (1 Pet. 1:17). If you read this and it seems outlandish—the work of another Christian sensationalized account of some nonsense—simply disregard it, and go on with your life. However, if you pause long enough to ask yourself if you’ve stepped out of the boat to meet Jesus in the midst of your storm only to find He is more than you even imagined, a very present help in time of trouble, then God be praised, your life will never be the same again.

Introductory E-mail—Sent October 2017

Dear friends, family, Bible study partners, and monthly devotional fa mily,

My family and I wanted to share our brief and wonderful experience of the grace of God during Hurricane Maria. We realize that some of you receiving this e-mail are still wrestling with the after-effects of this storm—and we are still praying for God’s grace in your lives. This experience was unique in that we were privileged to see very specific and consistent answers to prayer in a way that left us amazed and humbled.

The experience was so poignant that we agreed we ought to share with anyone who would listen. The God of the Bible lives and delights to reveal His grace, power, and presence, if we are bold to believe and receive His rare and precious promises (2 Pet. 1:3, 4).

We realize this account might seem outlandish to some of you as it may appear sensationalized and not fitting your accepted spiritual framework. So be it. If it appears more fiction than fact, then feel free to delete it and carry on with your lives as you are accustomed. However, if one