On-Going Lessons from Sandy
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. —Psalm 42: 5 NASB Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. —Micah 7: 7 NKJV
I have to admit that the Lord has wired me with a disposition that usually looks at the glass half-full rather than half-empty. Please note the emphasis on “usually.”
As a ministry we have been blessed beyond measure through the “storm” of the century. There is so much devastation around us. Many hurting people.
I spoke Saturday with an associate pastor who is in his 80’s who lives in Ocean City. Their home was flooded out and they lost all of their possessions.
We sat in the prayer room prior to the service and I ached as this servant of the Lord humbly talked to the Lord about wanting to be thankful for this trial in his life, but confessing with brutal honesty through his tears that he was having a hard time being thankful.
I have a ministry friend who is not only the CEO of a major Christian conference center but is also greatly involved in oversight of the two he lives in. Their ministry has faced some major devastation – not some much structural damage, but because of the island not having natural gas – they could face a major shut down of their ministry.
All that being said – how do people face this kind of difficulty without the Lord? When we are tempted to be filled with despair, we have the privilege of crying out to God for His help. I believe that He loves to get us to the place where we will totally depend on Him. Just maybe that is the fulfillment of the quote you’ve heard me share – “you’ll never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have – when Jesus is all you have – you’ll know Jesus is all you need!
And today we get to vote! J Just thought I’d throw that into the mix. Are you filled with despair today? Is your soul downcast? Then trust Him today – He’s big enough for you, me and all the hurting people who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy! – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick
Team YOU: Jeremiah 37-39; Proverbs 6; Hebrews 3
Motivations: Would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; heaven so real that we must have men there; Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to make the Man of Sorrows the Man of Joy by the conversion to him of many. Hudson Taylor
Practice to Remember: Level 1:James 3:6; Level 2: James 3:1-6
Powered Up: If we could take account of our losses in spiritual things as we can in our financial, we would be startled at what losses we are suffering – traceable to our lack of prayer. Henrietta Mears
Freedom Fighters 
This is a timely and encouraging Freedom Fighter message. It helped me because of what I encountered after Hurricane Sandy. I went to the local Y here in Brooklyn, NY to spend an hour exercising and running. I was not expecting what I found. The huge track area was filled wall-to-wall with little blue framed cots. Hundreds of physically disabled and heavily medicated emotionally disturbed persons displaced by Hurr. Sandy had been living there for six days. It was one of the saddest scenes imagineable. The intense dislocation, loneliness, and melancholy were almost tangible. When I asked if I could volunteer, I was told that I had to give a minimum of 6 hours which I couldn’t commit to at the time. I said that I was a pastor and would like to pray with some of the patients. I was asked to wait, and 15 minutes later the man returned and gave me a number to call, and told me I should not cross the line to go into the patients. When I called the number, the woman on the other end hung up on me. The next day I went back, and there was a different crew in charge. I was allowed to visit the refugees from planet-hurt, and prayed with many. They were so grateful to lift up their hearts to our holy God even in the midst of their medicated stupor.