Like so many, we watched as scorched earth images flashed across the television screen shocking with the widespread wildfire damage in California--personal stories, one after another of those who have lost everything. Our hearts sagged again from the suffering of others. It seemed only yesterday we viewed the hurricane devastation in the southeast, where many victims are still struggling with the loss of their homes representing a lifetime of memories.
And still, a threat remains in California where firefighters and first responders from across the nation continue to put themselves in harm’s way to help.
As I watched the news, a wave of despair hit
me. For a moment, it threatened to overwhelm in the face of such destruction. How do we
even pray for these folks?
That’s when I remembered what happened during worship earlier that morning. I had almost cried when we came to a lyric taken perhaps from Isaiah 6:3, “his bright glory fills the whole earth.” On my heart was the desperate need of so many going through unimaginable suffering and how desperate they might be for God’s glory to come—how they might feel God’s light had been obscured by smoke and ash. How can God's glory manifest itself in the places represented by the images seared in our brains?
One of the fire victims, a person of
faith, who’d lost everything testified that despite how awful it all was, he believed
God could come in. I’ve heard others who have lived in L.A. talk about the
vibrant faith communities there. So, we pray for God to turn this thing that
Satan meant for evil into something that God can use. How he will do that, we
don’t know. But can he? Oh, yes.
So, let’s keep up our hope for those who are facing these hard times and let it be our prayer that God’s glory would fill Los Angeles County, the counties of western North Carolina, and the whole earth.
And let's do what we can to help. Samaritan’s Purse, who provides disaster relief and goes in the name of Jesus, is preparing to travel to California as soon as the fires are under control. They are calling for volunteers to that end. They continue to work in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and around the world. You can find more about this and opportunities to give on their site (This is not a sponsored post).