Through the Flood

If the circumstances of our lives seem to be falling apart, we can turn to the One who holds all things together - who will hold us together and give us strength that is not of ourselves. In Psalm 27, we find these words:
1 ...The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Later in the chapter, we can read:

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

We live in a season in which turbulence seems to be the norm and answers can sometimes be hard to come by - in human understanding.  But, it's good to know that even when we don't understand what is occurring around us, God is near to us and we can place our lives in His hand.  He is a refuge for our souls and rock on whom we can rely.  He meets us in our place of pain and uncertainty and provides us with the resources we need in order to withstand the challenges that occur.

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In the Lord, there is a place of refuge and we can know there is someone to whom we can run when we face adversity. Deuteronomy chapter 33 states:
26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!'

I have just returned from the state of Kentucky, and am reminded of the devastation that occurred not far from where I attended the Christian Product Expo in Lexington.  In the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, floodwaters have brought death and destruction; and God's people are involved in bringing hope in the midst of loss.

Even The Washington Post brought the story of how a pastor helped out his people.  A story from last week related how Pastor Brad Stevens of the Church of God Worship Center in Clay County encouraged the people of his community.  The article said:

As soon as they could safely do so, Stevens and a group of volunteers traveled from hollow to hollow to deliver food and water to the families trapped in their homes. Stevens said their group came into contact with about 50 people on their first day out; all were trapped on their properties. It was tough work, especially since cell service was wiped out.

The story also noted:

Some communities are nearly impossible to reach, since all paths in and out have been washed out. So one of Stevens’s many roles is working with government officials to navigate the logistics of road and bridge building. 

The pastor spoke of the spirit of the community, even to the extent that, as he put it, "it's kind of like enemies become friends," and related: “This community is full of people who just want to help,” adding, “Everybody is doing something different. It’s not like we got together and planned that. That’s why it’s so amazing.”

The website, Kentucky Today, related that Tim Reynolds, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Hazard, KY, said: "It’s one horror story after another. People going to sleep in their mobile homes and waking up a mile down the road; kids being swept from their mommy’s arms. It’s beyond tragic.”

The story states:

Reynolds was on a mission trip in Maryland when they received word about the flooding. “We had to cut that short one day and back here,” he said. “One of the guys with us has a church in Knott County with three feet of water in the basement.

Reynolds said the church would be available as organizations come to help with water rescues and recovery. “This is not a two-week event, more like six months,” he said.

The article also highlighted the struggles of Whitesburg, KY, where "Tony Brown, the pastor of FBC Whitesburg, was hauling everything that was damaged on the first floor of the church Friday morning. Furniture, carpet and Bibles were soaked. It was heartbreaking work, he said." He is also concerned about people leaving the area. He said, "The biggest problem we’re facing is we’re already economically depressed,” adding, “Because of this we may have a mass exodus of people. We were already on the verge of being a ghost town.”

In the midst of the devastation, people are turning to Christ, according to another state Baptist paper, Georgia's Christian Index.  It states:

Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Director Dwain Carter said it’s not unusual for people to seek God amid tragic circumstances. That why, he said, teams of Disaster Relief volunteers realize their role isn’t simply to help with the clean up, but to offer spiritual guidance to survivors.

“People are lot more open to spiritual conversations after tragedies like this,” Carter said. “And a lot of times, these conversations are with people who never would darken the door of a church. This is the church coming out to them and meeting them on their own playing field, so to speak. We tell them there’s help and hope and healing in Jesus, and, in their brokenness, they realize that’s true.”

During the first week alone, Baptist teams from several states reported 17 salvation decisions. The article goes on to say:

Georgia Baptist volunteer Bob Sprinkel said a father called and asked if he, his son and his son’s friend could come to the church where Disaster Relief crews are stationed and talk.

“Twenty minutes later they showed up,” Sprinkel said. “The son accepted Christ. The father rededicated his life to Christ. And the son’s friend rededicated his life.” We sat around until after midnight with them, rejoicing.”

Sprinkel said Georgia Baptist volunteers report similar encounters each time they’re deployed.

“Anytime that you have a major event such as this, people’s hearts are broken. And a lot of times, they’re asking, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ We don’t know why. But we can point them to the Lord who can help them in their brokenness.”

Coming up on Monday's Meeting House, you will hear from Lynne Rienstra of Samaritan's Purse, in a conversation from the Summer 2022 Christian Product Expo.  That Christian international relief organization is working in Eastern Kentucky even now. 

We can be reminded in times of trouble, we can roll up our sleeves and be the hands and feet of Jesus, realizing that through our interaction with those in need, people will be able to see the love He has for them. 

And, when trial comes to us or those around us, we can be reminded to run to the Lord.  Not away from Him - even when bad things happen, we have not been forgotten. Jesus wants all to come to know Him and He will even use hardship and pain in order to bring people into a knowledge of Himself.

So, when our souls are not at peace, and we don't say or can't say, "It is Well," we can rest in His love. Because the struggle can become too great for our own human strength.  We need an abiding sense of His presence to fortify us and we can rely on His strong, everlasting arms.