2 Chronicles 6:28-31
When disasters strike, famine or catastrophe, crop failure or disease, locust or beetle, or when an enemy attacks their defenses—calamity of any sort—any prayer that's prayed from anyone at all among your people Israel, their hearts penetrated by disaster, hands and arms thrown out for help to this Temple, listen from your home in heaven, forgive and reward us: reward each life and circumstance, for you know each life from the inside, (you're the only one with such inside knowledge!), so they'll live before you in lifelong reverence and believing obedience on this land you gave our ancestors.
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.
My maternal grandmother’s uncle, Sam Dial, operated the local livery, where he stabled horses, rented cars and wagons, and served as something of the “cab driver” of the day. When a devastating tornado ravaged our town on Thanksgiving Day 1926, my Uncle Sam and his wife, Lucy, took a truck to the western part of town to collect the dead and dying. In the book Time and the River by Evalena Berry, Aunt Lucy is quoted as saying, “I helped Sam, and we loaded them in those trucks. I carried their feet and he carried their head and we loaded them in there like cord wood. We took them to the Court House and laid them out. When I got home you couldn’t tell what my dress was but mud and blood. That was the ’26 tornado.”
In all, 19 people lost their lives that day. My grandmother was 17 years old when this tornado tore through Heber Springs. She stood on the street and watched her aunt and uncle pass with the truckload of bodies, and she never forgot the gruesome image. This partly explains why we spent much of our childhood hiding in a storm cellar at the first hint of a dark cloud on the horizon. My grandmother was forever changed by this horrific event.
Others have been transformed by involvement with a drunk driver, a catastrophic illness, the loss of a loved one, and more – calamities of any sort. And many have reached out to God with a heart penetrated by disaster. Some are only temporarily transformed, while others are changed for good. But only God can truly know the person’s heart. When we reach out to Him in a genuine spirit of humility and yearning for His help… comfort… rescue… restoration… He answers. God knows when we are sincere in our desire for His help – and for change - and He stands ready to deliver us.
I don’t know your heart. Some people experience disaster and devastation at a young age… some not at all… and some have a lifetime that seems to be filled with such events. Whatever your situation… regardless of your “stage” in life… God stands ready to hear your prayers and meet your needs. If your heart is pure… if you truly desire His answers, He will give them, according to His will for your life.
Psalm 56:8 says “You have kept record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them.”* Give your tears to God today… ask Him to forgive your sins and repair your heart. Humbly and reverently seek Him, and He will reward your life and its circumstances. Give God your devotion and trust, and walk in confidence that He is guiding your steps and rewarding your obedience.
©2012 Debbie Robus
* Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Showing posts with label disasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disasters. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 27, 2011
Luke 21:8-15
Jesus replied: Don't be fooled by those who will come and claim to be me. They will say, "I am Christ!" and "Now is the time!" But don't follow them. When you hear about wars and riots, don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end.
Nations will go to war against one another, and kingdoms will attack each other. There will be great earthquakes, and in many places people will starve to death and suffer terrible diseases. All sorts of frightening things will be seen in the sky.
Before all this happens, you will be arrested and punished. You will be tried in your meeting places and put in jail. Because of me you will be placed on trial before kings and governors. But this will be your chance to tell about your faith.
Don't worry about what you will say to defend yourselves. I will give you the wisdom to know what to say. None of your enemies will be able to oppose you or to say that you are wrong.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I will be the first to admit that these last few weeks of deadly tornadoes have really taken a toll on my spirit. From just down the road at Vilonia, Arkansas, to further southeast in Tuscaloosa, the devastation seemed unfathomable. Harrowing stories of loss, destruction – and survival – left me with a lump in my throat. When Joplin, Missouri, was hit, I found myself sitting on the couch watching the coverage and listening to the stories in tears. By the time we watched live coverage of a tornado that ripped through a community north of Oklahoma City, I was truly disturbed. I saw families with children and pets literally climb from underneath the rubble that had - minutes earlier - been their homes and wave a “we’re okay” signal to the helicopter crew.
I asked God, “Why?” It’s a normal, fair question… one God doesn’t mind us asking. I’ve come to truly believe that God does not cause these disasters. But at the same time, He allows them to happen. And I can see how those who straddle the fence over their faith in God’s promises could be asking, “What kind of God would allow such devastation?” I get it… and so does God!
As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve just had another “prediction” that the world would end. Of course, it did not. No one knows the hour… remember? “Why is all of this happening, God? Can You give us at least some hint of your motives and purposes in all of this?” At least a portion of the answer came to me in these verses in Luke. Notice that Jesus warns us first against “doomsday deceivers” who want to predict when He will return. But then, look at verse 11, which says, in part… All sorts of frightening things will be seen in the sky.” If you have watched the news reports lately, you have certainly seen plenty of frightening things in our skies.
So what have I taken away from all of this? Look at the last verse of this passage again… “I will give you the wisdom to know what to say. None of your enemies will be able to oppose you…” I have asked myself, “What if that were our community? What if that were my son/daughter who was missing? What if my mother’s Facebook page had a post that simply read “Gone”? What if my husband and I and our pets dug out of our safe room and found that everything we owned was gone… the trees sanded bare around rubble that was once our home? What if we didn’t get the warning in time and awoke in a hospital… or heaven? What if we… and most of our community… had to completely start over and rebuild from scratch?”
Without fail, the answer I have received – almost instantly – has been… “It would be okay.” I don’t mean it would be great or that I would not be devastated… but I would have peace, because God will always be with me. None of my enemies – including tornadoes – are able to oppose me. With every news report, I read and hear stories of great faith… saving grace… an outpouring of love and compassion from one person to another. I see the hand of God at work, knitting together communities of people from all corners of the country – and even the world – to offer prayers, support, and physical manpower to help with the rescue and recovery.
As the pastor of one Joplin church said, “This is just the building – the real church is the people themselves.” We are more than our “stuff,” and in these weeks of true human loss and tragedy, each of us has been given a chance to model true Christian behavior. We can donate to the Red Cross and other organizations. We can contribute bottled water and toiletries to drives at our local churches to be delivered and dispensed to the victims of these devastating storms. And we can pray for everyone involved – from the victims to the survivors to the rescue workers who rush to the scene to give physical assistance.
I marvel at how people rebuild and recover from such devastating disasters… but they do. And I know that this can’t happen under human power alone. God surely uses these situations to build His Kingdom and strengthen the faith of His children. This might not be the way we would do it, but that’s why we are not God!
Today, take some time to stop and pray for those who are involved in these natural disasters… tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and more. Ask God to use this situation for His glory… to bring about a great strengthening of resolve and faith in His promises to help us defeat all enemies – even “Mother Nature’s” wrath. Ask God to strengthen your own faith… to give you courage and confidence that you can handle anything that is hurled your way – with His help. Pray for those who are directly involved in these tragedies… that they might have comfort, courage, and peace for their journey. And always…always... thank God for never deserting us… even in the vortex of a tornado.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Jesus replied: Don't be fooled by those who will come and claim to be me. They will say, "I am Christ!" and "Now is the time!" But don't follow them. When you hear about wars and riots, don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end.
Nations will go to war against one another, and kingdoms will attack each other. There will be great earthquakes, and in many places people will starve to death and suffer terrible diseases. All sorts of frightening things will be seen in the sky.
Before all this happens, you will be arrested and punished. You will be tried in your meeting places and put in jail. Because of me you will be placed on trial before kings and governors. But this will be your chance to tell about your faith.
Don't worry about what you will say to defend yourselves. I will give you the wisdom to know what to say. None of your enemies will be able to oppose you or to say that you are wrong.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I will be the first to admit that these last few weeks of deadly tornadoes have really taken a toll on my spirit. From just down the road at Vilonia, Arkansas, to further southeast in Tuscaloosa, the devastation seemed unfathomable. Harrowing stories of loss, destruction – and survival – left me with a lump in my throat. When Joplin, Missouri, was hit, I found myself sitting on the couch watching the coverage and listening to the stories in tears. By the time we watched live coverage of a tornado that ripped through a community north of Oklahoma City, I was truly disturbed. I saw families with children and pets literally climb from underneath the rubble that had - minutes earlier - been their homes and wave a “we’re okay” signal to the helicopter crew.
I asked God, “Why?” It’s a normal, fair question… one God doesn’t mind us asking. I’ve come to truly believe that God does not cause these disasters. But at the same time, He allows them to happen. And I can see how those who straddle the fence over their faith in God’s promises could be asking, “What kind of God would allow such devastation?” I get it… and so does God!
As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve just had another “prediction” that the world would end. Of course, it did not. No one knows the hour… remember? “Why is all of this happening, God? Can You give us at least some hint of your motives and purposes in all of this?” At least a portion of the answer came to me in these verses in Luke. Notice that Jesus warns us first against “doomsday deceivers” who want to predict when He will return. But then, look at verse 11, which says, in part… All sorts of frightening things will be seen in the sky.” If you have watched the news reports lately, you have certainly seen plenty of frightening things in our skies.
So what have I taken away from all of this? Look at the last verse of this passage again… “I will give you the wisdom to know what to say. None of your enemies will be able to oppose you…” I have asked myself, “What if that were our community? What if that were my son/daughter who was missing? What if my mother’s Facebook page had a post that simply read “Gone”? What if my husband and I and our pets dug out of our safe room and found that everything we owned was gone… the trees sanded bare around rubble that was once our home? What if we didn’t get the warning in time and awoke in a hospital… or heaven? What if we… and most of our community… had to completely start over and rebuild from scratch?”
Without fail, the answer I have received – almost instantly – has been… “It would be okay.” I don’t mean it would be great or that I would not be devastated… but I would have peace, because God will always be with me. None of my enemies – including tornadoes – are able to oppose me. With every news report, I read and hear stories of great faith… saving grace… an outpouring of love and compassion from one person to another. I see the hand of God at work, knitting together communities of people from all corners of the country – and even the world – to offer prayers, support, and physical manpower to help with the rescue and recovery.
As the pastor of one Joplin church said, “This is just the building – the real church is the people themselves.” We are more than our “stuff,” and in these weeks of true human loss and tragedy, each of us has been given a chance to model true Christian behavior. We can donate to the Red Cross and other organizations. We can contribute bottled water and toiletries to drives at our local churches to be delivered and dispensed to the victims of these devastating storms. And we can pray for everyone involved – from the victims to the survivors to the rescue workers who rush to the scene to give physical assistance.
I marvel at how people rebuild and recover from such devastating disasters… but they do. And I know that this can’t happen under human power alone. God surely uses these situations to build His Kingdom and strengthen the faith of His children. This might not be the way we would do it, but that’s why we are not God!
Today, take some time to stop and pray for those who are involved in these natural disasters… tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and more. Ask God to use this situation for His glory… to bring about a great strengthening of resolve and faith in His promises to help us defeat all enemies – even “Mother Nature’s” wrath. Ask God to strengthen your own faith… to give you courage and confidence that you can handle anything that is hurled your way – with His help. Pray for those who are directly involved in these tragedies… that they might have comfort, courage, and peace for their journey. And always…always... thank God for never deserting us… even in the vortex of a tornado.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)