Mason Lambert (author) meeting with volunteers sending them out to help homeowners clean up from Hurricane Ian in Port Charlotte.
Have you ever felt hopeless? Your car is totaled and you don’t have insurance? You get laid off from your job, but the bills keep coming? Your spouse has given up on the relationship? Your home gets destroyed by a hurricane and the insurance won’t pay? Ever felt like there’s no way out of this situation?
As believers, we have trust that the Lord will guide our steps. We are not alone as the psalmist in chapter 121 states,
“I lift my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
We are promised we are never alone and that he is always with us, even when it seems like he’s far away. The Shepherd who not only created our home, but our future home is our helper and protector. But what of the non-believer? Where is their trust?
In disaster relief, we are gifted the opportunity to meet many different people, all in different life journeys. Some are believers, but many have not been to church in years. So as you may guess, sometimes their trust is in other things: their careers, their spouses, and even alcohol. But careers end, spouses can fail us, and alcohol can only distract us from the pain.
In the midst of disasters, there is much pain and grief. As a non-believer, there is not much you can put your hope and trust in. But as for us as believers, we have our Heavenly Father in whom we put our trust. Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter 8 saying, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are calling according to his purpose.”
It may not be the plan we had in mind, but God’s plans are always greater than our own. The homeowners I’ve met never would have wished a disaster upon themselves, but because of the very disaster that affected them, they were able to meet IDES volunteers and church members. These volunteers and church members have been able to come alongside the homeowners and share the love of Christ with them, showing them what and Who they can truly put their trust in and changing their lives.
~Mason Lambert (U.S. Disaster Response Coordinator)