In Staten Island
it doesn't seem to stop. The stories are heart wrenching, and the lights
are still off over a week later. There were more killed on this little
island than anywhere else in the area hit.
In Northern New
Jersey the trees have sheared houses in half, and brought towns to their
knees. The cost of the damage is astronomical.
In Brooklyn, the
aftermath of fires and floods leave behind broken dreams; and only memories of
what used to be are left behind. Lower Manhattan flooded, the tunnels,
literally under water.
People who were
relying on generators to give them some heat, or to run a small stove to feed
the children a canned meal have to wait in line for hours for gasoline.
It's like the 1970s again; odd and even days determine who gets gas.
There is all
this devastation. There is so much loss. And you know what, dear
Reader? I haven't heard anything about
other nations coming to our aid. It seems they never do. We, as a
country lend quickly to other nations when they are devastated with
earthquakes, tsunamis, or other disasters. The United States sends the
help, the laborers, and the money immediately. Meanwhile, as she sits in
ruins, no one calls asking if they can help.
So the help
comes from within this country. Not from the United Nations which is
housed in New York City or from any of the countries represented by it, but
from other towns and other cities and other states in this God-blessed
land!
The mayor of
Belmar, NJ declared that they will be up and running by Memorial Day!
Here is a town that has damage on almost every street, yet the hope of the
residents is to bring it back to life and show the world that they are
survivors. There are thousands of people without power but grateful to
still have a roof over their heads.
Then a week
later a nor'easter came through the same areas of New York and New Jersey.
Five inches of snow straddle the remaining branches still covered with leaves,
it being so early in the season. In Connecticut, eight inches of snow
fell. The winds blew at 60 mph, scattering the piles of debris, the belongings
of families that were destroyed by water, making it even worse somehow to look
at all this and believe that a new day would be coming and with it any hope of renewal
or restoration. In total, so far the
death toll from Sandy alone is at least 85.
I’m sure there
are many out there wondering where God was through all this. Some even explaining how this is proof that
there is no God, because a loving God wouldn’t do this to His children, would
He?
I shake my head
when the God haters and atheists come out in droves at times like this and spew
their own miserable kind of stench out for the media to pick up; and it amazes
me how they always comment on the stories about the circumstances, whether a
tornado, blizzard, earthquake, hurricane, or whatever it may be. “So where WAS your God?”
I know that our
God was there. I know that He kept His
mighty hand of protection on millions of people during that storm; otherwise
there would have been many more dead. We
live in a time where society has taken everything good, called it bad, and
taken evil and called it good. We live
in a society that fully believes in child sacrifice, votes for the one who
promises it the loudest, and then demands that a monument be erected in the
area where a delivery truck full of fish turned over. We should remember and memorialize the dead
fish! Mind you, they were already dead,
but let’s sacrifice the children without batting an eye.
Our God is an
awesome God, and He is fully aware of every single thing that happens in this
universe. Nothing goes on without Him
knowing about it, He created everything down to the last detail, and loves His
work. He made each one of us in His own
image.
Why didn’t He
stop this storm? As I said in my last
post, I believe that if the people of this country got on their knees and
prayed and asked God’s forgiveness for their indignant and immoral behavior and
asked Him to keep the storm from hitting that He would have. With all my heart I believe that. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much (James 5:16). God hears
our prayers. He also hears when we curse
Him and throw Him out of our schools, and court houses, and in some cases, I
think our churches. He is a gracious
God, and will do as asked, even if it breaks His heart.
If you want to
see Him back in times of disaster, perhaps it’s time to ask Him back. We as a country need to put our own greedy
desires aside and seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and then, as
promised, all those things will be added unto us. I personally want God to be so big in my life
that I can’t ignore Him. I believe His
promises are true, and I believe He is faithful and loving and kind. I believe that I matter to Him more than
anything else He created. We are His
children and He loves us.
So please, dear
Reader, I know the world seems dim right now, and the land is dark and totally
messed up, and perhaps what was once your home and your livelihood may be gone,
and if you have lost what you believe is everything that mattered, please know
that you haven’t lost the love of God.
And you won’t. No matter
what. He is there, and He is waiting for
you to call on Him. Ask Him back into
your heart, and believe that He still works miracles and wonders and that He
can take all your pain away. Sometimes
the only way to see the obvious is to remove all the other things.
My heart goes
out to all those who lost their jobs, their homes, their belongings, and some,
their family members. I continue to pray
for you and ask God to comfort and guide you and give your weary bodies
rest. We need to believe that with God
all things are possible, and that we can do all things through Christ Jesus
which strengthens us. We ARE
overcomers. We ARE more than
conquerors. We are children of the Most
High God, and we are victorious! God
bless you, and the United States of America.
May she come back to the country she once was; God-fearing and proud of
her Christian roots!
“If
God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are
never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his
best for you? What I’m trying to do here
is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t
know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and
how he works. Steep your life in
God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll
find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
“Give
your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up
about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time
comes.” Matt 6:31-34 MSG
