By Deborah Lovett:
A few weeks ago my husband and I were watching the news, with horrendous pictures of tornadoes from the previous week. Our hearts were breaking for the people who had lost their homes. We knew what they were going through, having lost our own home in 2008 to a fire. So we decided to go. Just go! We knew there must be a hurting family who would need to be finding God after a tornado hit their home, and God placed on our hearts this verse, Matthew 25:35 (New International Version):
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and your clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
We need to walk our talk by putting our boots to the pavement and actually doing what Jesus tells us to do in His Word, and by listening to the Holy Spirit and obeying His voice. So we headed out to Sam’s Club, loaded up our truck with cases of water, and headed for tornado alley.
You know the story of the lost sheep, lost coin, the lost son in Luke Chapter 15? Well, at first my husband and I were the ones lost. Let me explain.
We intended to go to Moscow, Ohio where 25-30 homes had been destroyed and deliver the water. But we got lost –or sidetracked, as my husband likes to say! But God is so good. In our seeking to get back on track, He had us “find” this one family: a mom and daughter who had lost everything.
They lost their trailer, and all their belongings had been shredded. The tornado had literally destroyed everything. They were searching in the rubble for the little girls’ Barbies. God is so good: we may have been lost, but “He” had “found” this family in need of help and put us right there! We weren’t lost, according to Him! We were right where we needed to be! We gave them water, Bibles, a bracelet for the little girl, and money for food. They had been passed over by the Red Cross, and were not on anyone’s radar but God’s!
Then we prayed over and for them: for God’s mercy, love, support, and provision. They did not have insurance, but they do have a God who loves them and found them in the midst of everything. They were the only ones hit from the tornado in their parts. It was a one hit touchdown, and no one else was affected around them. Little did they know that our God was on top of it!
It was a good Saturday and I am so glad we went. I wore my work boots and God did the walking and talking. Does this story speak to you today? Perhaps it has to do with where you are. If you have been lost, God is waiting for you and you are right where He wants you. Or is God nudging you to help someone? Please pray about it. For more ideas visit my website page, where I have tips on how to help someone who has lost a home from a fire or other disaster.
If you are reading this, then you still have your computer, and are so blessed. Give thanks and praise today for finding God in the tornadoes of life! Hug your friends and family!
Love always, Deborah
©Deborah Lovett. You can visit Deborah at her website, at http://www.deborahlovett.com/fire-ministry.html.
Here’s a video showing the destruction in Moscow, Ohio, filmed by a member of the community. This video shows the mass destruction in the area Deborah and her husband went to, to help. (Be aware that the running commentary takes the Lord’s name in vain a few times.However we do appreciate the videographer taking time to show the impact of the tornado on his family’s community.)
