Thankfulness from West

When we were saved, God didn't just bring us into His kingdom, call us His child, and leave us to fend for ourselves.   We have been called into a relationship with Him.   And, He will make Himself known to us, consistently, by His Holy Spirit.  Here is what Jesus said in John 16:
(13) when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
So, we have to train ourselves to hear from the Lord, to be sensitive to His promptings.   He will give us wisdom when choices need to be made - that's a promise from James 1.  And I believe that He will "nudge" us in the right direction in various situations; sometimes we will experience an impulse in which the Lord is giving us a push in a particular direction.   We can sensitize ourselves and learn to recognize His voice - not audible, but within our spirits - Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice".  We can be challenged to discern the leadership of the Lord, which will always be consistent with His Word.

In John 14, Jesus promises His disciples a spiritual helper, the Holy Spirit:
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Two weeks ago today, an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, took the lives of 15 people, injured 200, and 60 are believed to be still missing.  The Austin Disaster Relief Network, consisting of Austin-area churches, reports that over 150 ministries have visited or given relief to West families, over 48 18-wheelers have dropped off in-kind donations, 20 18-wheelers of water, 100,000 square feet of warehouse space filled with donated items along with smaller locations over-flowing with goods, and ADRN has been able to debrief/provide emotional care for an estimated 600 traumatized individuals and provide $35,000 in gift cards to meet immediate needs through the loving hands of 203 volunteers!  There have been approximately 273 "sponsor a family forms" turned in by families specifically asking for churches to walk with them through this process.

When the need is great, we recognize we serve a great God!!   Now, a coalition of Waco-area churches have begun to form a network to minister to the victims of the tragedy, with a goal of sponsoring every family that has asked for help.   The response is amazing, and we can give God the praise for His work to heal and restore!

And, in the aftermath of a crisis, you hear the survival stories.   The Austin network reported on one particular family to whom they ministered.   At the time of the explosion, a family was parked in front of an apartment complex.  The father and grown son were outside the car taking pictures of the fire.  The mother, another grown son, a daughter-in-law and 10-month-old grandchild were inside the car.  

The grandmother instinctively threw the baby in the floorboard and dove down herself to cover the baby with her own body.  After the explosion, she scooped up the baby and began to run through the thick black smoke for medical care.  Her husband and son, who had been outside the car, were nowhere in site, having been thrown away from the car by the blast. 

She heard her daughter-in-law scream, and as the smoke began to clear some, she looked back to see the car on fire and her daughter-in-law trapped inside.   Her son rescued the daughter-in-law, pulling her from the burning car.  Miraculously all six of them survived!

The mother, who only spoke Spanish,  said that before this incident she was not a woman of strong faith.  But she repeated to the chaplain over and over, "Yo creo!  Yo creo!" - I believe, I believe. 

She said there is no way her family survived without the direct intervention from God.   He must have some purpose for us to carry out here on earth if He went to such lengths to keep us alive.

When the need is great, we recognize we serve a great God!!   This grandmother didn't know how or why, but she was impressed to try to protect her 10-month-old granddaughter.   As a result of her response to a nudge or impulse, two lives were saved.   And, she acknowledged God's direct intervention, leading to a deeper faith in God.   "Yo creo!" - I believe.

Nancy Rue talked on my show about "nudges" from God - and I believe that God is trying to get messages across to us each day.  And, as we respond to His promptings, it can result in a deepening or strengthening of our faith, and produce thanksgiving in our hearts.   This grandmother experienced it in the heat of the moment, and I believe that the Lord will work in those times, but in the everyday ebb and flow of life, I think that He is present with us, and we have to be sensitive to learn when He is speaking or nudging.   It could be a life-saving nudge or, more commonly, a life-giving, life-transforming nudge.   And, when you experience it, respond, and see the end result - give God the praise!