Only one week after the Microburst, another bigger storm swept down the entire East Coast that hit our town as well. This time, instead of about 50,000 without power, it was estimated that in our area alone there were 900,000 without power. There were two known deaths from this storm. We wandered down Route 50 in search of power, only to find our neighboring cities of Bowie, Lanham, and beyond in just as bad shape as we were. The few businesses that had power also had lines of people snaking out their doors, waiting for their turn to enter the air conditioned building where they could ‘rest a spell.’

This time around, the “good attitude” was a little harder to muster, I admit, after two days without power, as we were still recovering from the previous week’s disaster and our tree was still our “ever-present reality.” As they say, “When it rains, it pours.” For our area there has been a literal fulfillment of this the last few years with a record-breaking snowfall dubbed “Snowmaggedeon,”an earthquake (which we were not used to), Hurricane Irene, and now these two storms. Grace even made up a song about Pepco, our power company, which shows that even our three year old has internalized our need for power 🙂

Last time, I shared a personal testimony about how the Microburst caused me to pause and consider what is really important in life. What it came down to was firstly, “Where do I stand with Christ?” and “Who are the people in my life?” God and people. Really, this is what matters. Since the second storm, I have pondered what else I can glean from natural disasters as well as other “storms of life.” You know, TRIALS. TESTS. THE LIKE. 🙂

It also made me recall that I have seen some pretty amazing disasters and stood in their wreckage, held their victims while they mourned, and surveyed incalculable loss. The first that came to mind was the Haiti Earthquake a few years back. We had the call to go from a friend there who had lost his wife and his home. He begged for our assistance. How could we refuse?  As we went, we surveyed the damage, a lot of which looked like this:

Nearly the entire country slept in tents, which was a physical picture of the temporary nature of our earthly dwelling places:

Then there was the Tsunami of 2005, where, during an around the world trip to 20 countries, Joel and I had the privilege of assisting folks in Khao Lak, Thailand, where damage looked like this:

In the rubble of disaster, it is easy to become disillusioned and think “Where is God in all of this?” I can tell you from personal experience, that in those storms, in the midst of all the damage and destruction and chaos, God was strikingly and tangibly present. We just had to open our eyes and ears. Sometimes, as in our disaster, the physical clean up and recovery takes awhile but is more of an inconvenience than anything. In other disasters, there is virtually nothing left and nowhere, it seems, to go. Everything everywhere has been destroyed. Those left to sort of their “new” reality in the midst of such devastation are often at a breaking point. Where do you turn when everything around you, everything that you have stood upon and relied on for survival is gone?

God alone is the answer.

“Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts his voice, the earth melts.The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” – Psalm 46:6-7

He is Emmanuel – God with us. God with us in disaster. God with us in pain. God with us in trial and temptation and failure. God with us when all have deserted us. He never fails. And because of this unalterable faithfulness, there is only one proper response: joyful worship! I have seen some of the purest, truest worship in these places of devastation and disaster. Out of the rubble, worship rises. A new foundation is built on nothing but God alone.

What about you? 

What is shaking in your life? What has been destroyed? What, when the pressure and the storms of life came pressing in, was found unreliable, unsound, unable to stand?

We each have the opportunity when things in our lives begin to shake to listen to what God might be saying to us through the turmoil:

“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire. ” – Hebrews 12:25-29

Sometimes, the call is to stand and endure the storm. Sometimes, it is to pick up a shovel and clean up the mess. Sometimes, it is to re-evaluate a faulty foundation and begin to build again on what will remain. And oddly enough, when that call comes, there is often a sense of hope, of relief, of a fresh start with a new vision for something greater and more enduring than what held us up before.