Natural Disasters

Have you ever seen anything like this time you and I are living in?

The prophet Joel asked the very same question…

“ The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, you elders,
And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children about it,
Let your children tell their children ,And their children another generation.”. ( Joel 1:1-2 NKJV)

It sounds like something being spoken today doesn’t it?

Joel was specifically referring to a multi-phase invasion of locusts that were laying destruction and waste to the land. While we are not facing that exact same situation, we are witnessing an incredible amount of extraordinary situations and events taking place in a relative short period of time.

Consider this…There have been the tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma. The explosion in West,TX; A terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon; Ongoing shake ups in Washington DC and more. Very real in my own recent memory is Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy that my family and I personally went through as we lived on the Jersey Shore.

Without a doubt, this is a period in history that in my opinion is unlike any other.

Some rush to declare “judgment from God.”  I am slow to use those words because some serious questions arise when the situations are more closely examined.

Take for instance the declarations of judgment made by some upon New Orleans following the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina.(our ministry was heavily involved in ministry to the Gulf area in the aftermath) I found it interesting that the area that could possibly be likened to Sodom and Gomorrah (The French Quarter) was missed almost entirely by the hurricane. If then it truly was judgment then God had bad aim and missed his target as the French Quarter went virtually unharmed.

By no means do I suggest that our country is pristine and guiltless in the sight of Heaven. I would definitely suggest viewing these and other events as a wake up call to God’s people who are a part of the sleeping giant aka The Church or Body of Christ.

Yes, I might call this season a” wake up call.” It’s like an alarm clock which is ringing loudly for us to get out of bed. It is time to pray, turn away from our own distractions and sin, re-prioritize our lives and ministries to be more focused upon the Father’s business as opposed to our own semi – spiritual and self serving agendas.

During these times of disaster, I have been proud to be a Christ follower because of the tremendous amount of help that comes through Christians, ministries and churches. I urge our friends to do as we have done and find a credible organization (there are many we could recommend) and give to help those affected by these tragic events. But, when these needs are finally met let’s not let it stop with great disasters.

Here is a question.

Would it be possible to incorporate this same heart of compassion, serving and gospel witness into our daily personal and church life? Jesus’ life serves as a model when He “did good and healed all who were oppressed of the devil?”(Acts 10:38) This probably took place on a daily basis as a part of  His everyday life and ministry.

Why don’t we follow the words of NIKE…”Just Do It.”

As we do, the lives of our friends and  neighbors as well as those God brings across our path can be touch and changed by the love of Jesus Christ!