Disruption

I believe that God wants us to hold on to our possessions lightly, recognizing that what we have is given to us by Him, and He desires to develop within us a generous heart, so that we can use our
resources to minister to others. 2nd Corinthians 9 states:
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
9 As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever."
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness...

When we are being obedient to God, our action is not insignificant.  Our great Heavenly Father is touching hearts to craft a tapestry of service, so that needs can be met, and people might be blessed by Him, through His people...so that He might be honored.  We may act individually, or in tandem with others, maybe with a lot of others, so that His work might go forth.  We can examine how God would use what He has provided to each of us.

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1st Peter 4 gives practical instruction on using what God has provided to demonstrate His love.  We
see these verses:
9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The advent of a hurricane or other weather disaster can be a destructive and disruptive force.  Even the threat of a hurricane taking aim at an area can produce maneuvering on a grand scale.  Residents are evacuated from some areas, and the necessary preparations need to be made.  And, in some cases, the greatest preparation is not enough to avoid the devastation.  Witness what occurred recently with Dorian in the Bahamas - I will have more about that later, but first...

Residents of the east coast of the U.S. feared the worst as Dorian elevated to a Category 5 storm in the Atlantic.  So, protective measures were being taken.  Allendale, South Carolina is about 90 miles west of Charleston and 75 miles north of Savannah.and Hilton Head.  No doubt, evacuees heading inland through the Palmetto State would perhaps travel through the small town.

And, Jermaine Bell was there to greet them.  Jermaine just turned seven years old this past Sunday, and according to News Channel 6, had been saving his money to go to Disney World - until the hurricane was threatening to bear down on the coast.  The story relates that Jermaine said, “The people that are traveling to go to places, I wanted them to have some food to eat, so they can enjoy the ride to the place that they’re going to stay at..."

So, as the story reports, "Bell took his Disney World birthday money and traded it in for hot dogs, chips, and water to serve to coastal South Carolina evacuees."

He said that he wanted to "be generous and live to give."  The article goes on to say:

Living by that motto, Bell stood along Highway 125 in Allendale with two handcrafted signs on each end of the highway to make sure he got evacuees attention. He served nearly 100 evacuees.

“Want me to pray for you,” says Jermaine a family of evacuees.

His grandmother, Aretha Grant, related that he prayed that a family's house would be fine when they returned home.

The story states:

Grant wants her grandson to see how blessed he is to be a blessing to evacuees during these tough times.

“They weren’t able to take everything. So just knowing that they couldn’t take everything and we were able to have a house, so that’s the blessed part that he should be thankful for and get out of it.” says Aretha.

Jermaine Bell is an example of what one person can do in order to help and encourage others.  He took what he had, decided to take money that was intended for another purpose, and to help people.

That's a small-scale step, and an important one. 

A man in Jacksonville, Florida walked into a Costco and spent over 49 thousand dollars on 100 generators, plus other supplies, according to Fox 6 Now, to be sent to the Bahamas.  The story says:

The man wished not to be named. He said he doesn’t want the attention, and would rather that people focus on helping those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.

“It’s important that we help each other out,” he said. “It’s better than just sitting there. You see a need and you fill it.”

Not sure if there's a spiritual connection here, but it's a great object lesson - see a need, use what you have to meet it.  And, in this case, he did it without credit.  One person doing something.

And, then there is the mobilization of large-scale efforts that is currently helping people in the Bahamas, which faced the wrath of Dorian as a high-powered, Category 5 storm.

Former pastor Randy Crowe, who leads Island Outreach, received a satellite call from the Bahamas, and declared, “The cavalry is on the way.”  That's according to a WORLD Magazine story, that relates that, at the time of the story, Crowe had "packed the plane with about 700-750 pounds of crucial supplies like tarps, chainsaws, ready-to-eat meals, protein bars, energy drink powders, baby wipes, and diapers."

The article also spotlighted the work of Samaritan's Purse, which had flown supplies and even an emergency medical facility to the region, and Convoy of Hope, which had initially sent water filters and solar lanterns, to be followed by tents, tarps, and food.

Jermaine Bell and the man at Costco in Jacksonville can inspire us to think about responding how we can; or perhaps better said, respond how God has equipped us to.  We don't need to be intimidated by what we think we cannot do, but inspired by what He has called us to do - in the Kingdom, even seemingly insignificant acts have an impact.

There is the individual aspect, but there is also the team aspect: we can also support those who can respond more, God's people coming together in a unified effort to see Him work.  It's the body of Christ in action.  We know that there are many organizations that are structured and mobilized who can do quite a bit, and we can consider how we can partner with them to further their impact.

Along the way, we can be reminded to pray for those who are victimized.  They may be cleaning up after a hurricane or navigating their way through a storm in life - a health challenge, a family fracture, or even the pain of being abused.  There are storms that we all encounter, and we need one another to pray and to support.  And, our willingness to be involved in sharing the compassion of Christ can compel someone to know Him better.