Ephesians 5:8-10
You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
We were warned for days. Every forecaster talked about the serious tornado threat for our area – up to a week beforehand. The danger from impending tornadoes was the lead story on the national news broadcasts on Saturday evening…even though the storms were not expected for another 24 hours or so. I sat in church Sunday morning and prayed for safety for everyone in Arkansas. A line of thunderstorms with hail had come through earlier, and a soft rain fell. I asked, “LORD…who won’t be here this evening? What structures will be missing? Will our area be hit? Is this, quite literally, the ‘calm before the storm’?” It seemed surreal…and nebulous. “Maybe the storms will miss us,” we commented hopefully.
The storms did miss our community…but not those 40-50 miles to our south, with the cities of Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas, being hit the worst. Storm debris, photos and papers from these areas have even been found near my neighborhood. Lives have been taken. Homes are destroyed. The devastation defies description in a swath as much as a mile wide and spanning some 90 miles in distance. This massive, violent storm was on the ground for a long, long time. And worse yet, the tornado’s path was the same as one that emaciated much of this very area only three years ago. Some people lost their homes – or suffered thousands of dollars in damage – in 2011…and now those refurbished or reconstructed homes are gone once again. The death toll is 16…and climbing…as family and friends search for missing loved ones.
So today, as the sun tries to peek through the clouds and we step up out of our safe rooms and “hidey holes”…as we pull ourselves out of the murk and the darkness into the bright light of day and the truth of this horrific scene, we are left to ask a lot of questions…”WHY, LORD? And…WHY the same area once again? Why were two cities who have endured much hardship in recent years – including natural disasters and a man-made one – revisited with tragedy and incredible hardships? What on earth do we do now? Where do we turn?”
A couple of years ago, I watched incredible cable news footage of a tornado destroying homes in rural Oklahoma. A photographer aboard a nearby helicopter captured the horrific scene, and the news station aired it live. Once the storm passed, people began to emerge from underneath the rubble. Where only the foundations of houses remained, doors to “safe rooms” in the ground opened, and entire families stepped up and out into the light of day. They wandered…and stumbled…and appeared to be understandably dazed and confused. And many are in that same condition today.
I watched an interview this morning with one young father whose house is gone – for the second time in three years. He told the reporter, “We are still here by the grace of God.” I know it is easy for me to say this from a safe distance…but the hand of God is evident in this tragic event – even now. People are sharing harrowing stories of survival. Many who lost everything they own are thanking God for keeping them physically safe. Rescue and recovery efforts are organizing all over the state and nation. People are praying. And even in circumstances where loved ones have lost their lives, God is at work. These deaths will not be in vain. We cannot see it, but God is orchestrating the events of this storm – and its clean-up. He is touching the hearts and lives of all who observe this devastation, and people are pulling together in restoration efforts.
People are figuring out what to do to please Christ…even as they grieve and struggle. They are turning to Him for guidance as they stumble…because honestly, they don’t have a clue what to do of their own accord. And Jesus is answering. As we look to Him for wisdom and direction, He is walking with us. If we will prayerfully move forward, He will guide our steps. Our Heavenly Father will make sense of all of this for us in the daylight hours. He will show us what is good…right…true…and equip us to do these things!
Where is God in this tragedy? He is here…right smack dab in the middle of it! He is holding our hand, picking up a shovel and scooping debris, and orchestrating rescue and restoration efforts. He is soothing the broken hearts of the grieving, healing the injured, and touching the hearts and minds of His people. He is saying, “Step into the light of Christ. Walk with Him…and when you can’t put one foot in front of another, let Him carry you. We will get through this!”
Christ’s bright light is making the way plain. Have you come out of the darkness and found God? This is the day to get busy doing what is good, right, and true – even in the midst of this horrific, devastating storm…to figure out what will please Christ, and then do it! Are you with me?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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