“Oh man, now what are we going to do?” How many of us have uttered those words after a life-altering event?
People from Joplin, Missouri wept those words after the devastating tornado wiped out the whole southern half of that community in 2011.
People from the New Jersey and New York shores mourned those words after Super Storm Sandy roared in from the ocean in 2012.
Winter Storm Nemo clawed its way across the upper mid-west through New England in February 2013 dumping record amounts of snow, paralyzing travel for weeks. It was dubbed as “Snowmageddon.”
These extreme weather events can physically change the routes that we planned. They changed the way people lived. They changed the way they reacted, and dealt with incredible challenges. But those weather-related events can be overcome, even if they included loss of loved ones and dear friends.
But what happens when we personally experience an event like our baby dying? Or getting a doctor’s call that the test resulted in finding malignancy? Or that the loss of our job means we will lose our home? Are these worse? We need to strongly look at that, and WHY we are here!
In Joplin, Missouri, thousands of volunteers helped rescue family and friends; seeking NO monetary reimbursement. In New Jersey and New York, people poured into community service finding survivors and struggling to make sense of it all. And in that massive snow event THIS YEAR, people from all over the country come to help others with power outages, homes flooding from freezing pipes bursting, roofs that caved in, from no heat and tons of spoiled food, and rescuing families trapped in stranded vehicles.
What is the common thread here? Not only were lives changed permanently, there was an outpouring of Christian support. Lives were changed because believers were able to lead others to Jesus Christ. BECAUSE of these events, all those new converts now have a road to heaven when they pass from this world. Yes, babies died in these events, thousands lost their jobs. People died from those severe conditions and unbelievable disruptions to daily living. But God provided unlimited opportunities to minister in HIS name to folks who might normally throw rocks at you for mentioning “God.”
God tells us in a still, small voice which way we should go while ON OUR WAY. It shouldn’t take a massive calamity for us to show the world that Jesus is more than a name. He is more than a place on a hospital building or a swear word. He is the answer to our entire civilization. Let’s reach out to Him.
“Lord, show us the way. Bring our roads close to those who need to hear about You, and let’s be aggressively tender in preparing and reaching them. Because we don’t know when the next one is coming…… In Christ’s Name, Amen.”