Catastrophic

When the devastating storms come into our lives; when we are beset by adversity and loss, we can
look to the Lord as our source of hope and strength. Psalm 46 states:
(1b) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

There are hundreds of people who are suffering in our area today, having lost loved ones, or having suffered injury, or losing property, or having lived through the traumatic experience of a major storm. People need peace, clarity, and hope today.  We can be encouraged to pray, and God may direct some to get involved in other ways.  The Church has the opportunity to walk in the love of Jesus and to live out the hope that we have in Him.

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In Isaiah 25, we encounter a passage that reinforces our need to look to God during desperate times
and to praise Him always. We can read in verse 1:
1 O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful
things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

And, verse 4 says:
4 For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

One can think of the start of a brand new day as an open door of new possibilities; we can thank the Lord for a new day and seek Him diligently that we might do His will.

But for residents of East Alabama, sunrise today represented the possibility of learning more about the death and destruction of yesterday's tornadoes that struck Lee County.  At the start of the day, there were 23 deaths in Lee County, plus an assortment of storms in other parts of our Faith Radio coverage area brought damage to communities such as Eufaula, where there was damage in the area around the airport, and others. The communities of Beauregard and Smiths Station experienced unbelievable damage - the warnings Sunday afternoon described the potential for damage as "catastrophic."  And, it appears that there were two tornadoes that appear to have struck the same area.

And, as WSFA reported, the death toll was expected to rise as the result of the Lee County tornadoes. one of which was described as at least an EF-3, with a width of a half-mile. East Alabama Medical Center reported that it had received over 40 injured people. The Lee County EMA made available an online tool in order to identify missing family members, and the American Red Cross made it possible for people to register as "safe and well."  Providence Baptist Church in the area has stepped up as a storm shelter; so has the Smiths Station Volunteer Fire Department.

In the days to come, I have no doubt that Christian organizations will be very involved in helping to clean up the area.  A piece on the Opelika Auburn News stated:

Beauregard Volunteer Fire Station 3 acted as a triage, where responders brought injured residents, and a staging area was set up and Sanford Middle School, where volunteers rolled in, including disaster response teams from Church of the Highlands and the Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association.

The article told the story of an area resident, Blanche Whatley, who was in her kitchen when the storm arrived.  It states:

“The wind came up, and a window broke out,” she said. “I could hear a vibration. It was kind of like a train, I guess, and I guess it went over the house.”

Whatley and her granddaughter, Emily Scurnopoli, who lives with her, were unharmed by the tornado.

But sheets of tin that once put a roof over their heads were strewn about the neighborhood as friends and family members worked to place a tarp over the roof and help collect debris from the downed trees on the property.

In the worst conditions, in the midst of disaster, we commonly see the best of people, who are willingly to selflessly get involved to bring help to people who have been impacted.  And, there certainly is a tremendous need for spiritual care for the families who lost loved ones and property as the results of these devastating storms on Sunday. 

And, that is one particular takeaway from the events of Sunday: we have the opportunity as the Church to step up, to walk in the love of Christ.  We can pray for the families of those who have lost their lives, pray for healing for the injured, and for supernatural comfort to flood the lives of those who have survived.  And, as we pray, we know that God will direct some to get involved in other ways, as well, and there will no doubt be opportunities to serve those who have been adversely affected.

We can also think more deeply about our response in the storms of life.  Those storms, sometimes overwhelming, sometimes catastrophic, physically and otherwise, will impact either us directly or those around us.  Storms will come, and there is Someone who is a rock, a refuge, during those times of uncertainty.  I would think that our friends in Lee County will see the presence of the Savior in the coming days through the devotion of His people.