And who showed up to help those affected by Irene? Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. They were removing downed trees and all of this was done for free. Over 13,500 meals were prepared by Virginia’s Southern Baptists and “flood recovery teams spent the week enduring a heat wave in sealed protection suits while tearing out water-soaked insulation and unloading buckets of mud and silt from area homes.” All this was done by Southern Baptists.
But what of the government? The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) budget is almost about to run out due to the tornados in the Midwest and Southern states. FEMA has over $400 billion in claims that are still pending from before Hurricane Irene. New Jersey Governor Christ Christie said, “Our people are suffering now. And they need support now.” Perhaps FEMA should take a few lessons from Southern Baptists!
But more importantly than the material damage to these victims is the fact that many of them were facing a different kind of storm prior to Irene. Many people in the United States today are without the Lord Jesus Christ. Many wander from here to there looking for love in all the wrong places and when inner storms arise they have no where to turn. The swirling winds of thoughts flood their minds causing all sorts of disasters within themselves. They are searching for answers and to whom shall they go? Many of them turn inward or go to someone who they think will help them to get past the emotional scars that they are developing within themselves. Brokenhearted they attempt to resolve the issues by themselves knowing that very few are concerned about others in this me, me, me culture.
But there is One who does care. He is the same One who confronted the disciples on a boat that as they were sailing across the Sea of Galilee. This One was calmly asleep—unaffected by the storm. The disciples on the other hand were feverishly trying to keep the boat afloat. With every wave of fear raging against them one of the woke up the Lord Jesus and said that they were perishing and it did not seem to the disciples that the Lord even cared. Then, when all hope seemed lost, the Lord Jesus simply said, Peace be still! At that very moment, the winds died and Sea was calm like crystal (Mark 4:35-41).
Then a question was asked by the Lord Jesus to His disciples, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Beloved, this is the issue facing every believer today: a lack of faith. Rather than trusting that they would reach the other side, even in the midst of a storm, the disciples were fearful. With Hurricane Irene people are fearful wondering how they are going to survive such devastation and those who were ravaged in the tornados are still wondering the same thing. People are fearful of financial ruin because of the stock market. People are fearful of the next beg stimulus package that the President is trying to usher through Congress. People are fearful that their futures are falling apart before their very eyes while looking to everything and everyone to solve their problems. But it is He to whom we should turn. It is He who said, Peace be still! It is He who is the answer to all of life’s problems.
And when we turn to the Lord Jesus with this type of faith it is not a Pollyannaish whim. It is exactly what He wants us to do in the midst of the storms of life. When we turn to Him by faith we come to understand that this world is just our temporary home. We will are not here but for a few generations. The Lord Jesus wants us to realize that our home is beyond this world, that our home which He is preparing for us (cf. John 14:1-3) is beyond anything that we can see.
The writer put it this way concerning those who are listed in the great chapter of faith: But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:16). Turn to the Lord Jesus by faith; seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
