Prayer for Protection from Hurricane Irma

Irma has already devastated Cuba, becoming the first Category 5 hurricane to hit the island since 1924. Havana has experienced unprecedented flooding; homes and towns across the north of Cuba are destroyed.

Then the hurricane turned its wrath on Florida. As of this morning, 6.5 million people have been evacuated. Four million Floridians are without power, more than 40 percent of all customers in the state. Five have died, in addition to twenty-seven deaths in the Caribbean.

I prayed for the Lord to push this storm away from land and out into the sea. Instead, it attacked Cuban Christians, brothers and sisters I dearly love and have visited many times over the years. Then it turned and targeted my family.

I pray each day for God’s protection for my family and nation. I’m sure you do the same. When our prayers seem unanswered, how can we continue trusting the One to whom we pray?

Actually, it’s when our prayers seem unanswered that we most need to trust him.

Job testified, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (Job 13:15). When the Babylonian king threatened to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace, they responded: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:17–18, my italics).

The prophet Habakkuk prayed: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17–18).

We have two options. We can have a contractual relationship with God whereby we fulfill our responsibilities so that he fulfills his. If he doesn’t answer prayer the way we wish, we feel justified in rejecting him.

Or we can have a covenant relationship with our Father whereby we make an unconditional commitment to the One who loves us unconditionally. The more we understand his ways, the less we need to trust him. The less we understand him, the more we need to trust him.

The psalmist prayed, “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen” (Psalm 77:19). On this hard morning, our family is choosing to covenant with a Father who loves us and redeems all he allows.

Why do you need such a covenant with your Lord today?

NOTE: For more on today’s subject, please see a website article I posted this morning, Trusting God in hard times: a 9/11 reflection.

And there’s more bad news: Hurricane Jose is strengthening and threatens islands devastated by Irma.

What can we do to help?

A week ago, I asked you to join Denison Forum in raising funds for Hurricane Harvey victims. Our ministry contributed a $25,000 matching grant to this effort. All donations would be given through Texas Baptist Men (TBM) to help those devastated by the tragedy.

When we closed the contribution link yesterday, $322,347.70 had been donated. Our ministry paid the credit card fees so that every penny you contributed would go directly to those in need. We presented your donations to TBM’s executive director yesterday.

So far, TBM personnel have dedicated 47,656 hours to relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. They have handed out 259,246 meals, distributed 1,243 Bibles and gospel tracts, and shared the gospel personally 399 times. They are currently active at twenty-four sites with chaplains, flood recovery, feeding, childcare, and other resources.

They will be serving for weeks to come, helping families rebuild their lives. For stories of their ministry at work, click here.

Thank you for responding to this crisis with such amazing generosity. I am honored to serve Jesus with you.

Now there’s more to do. With three hurricanes on the way, millions of people are in danger. Scripture calls us to “seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11). Let’s begin praying for God to help those in crisis. Then let’s find ways to be the answer to our prayers.

To learn about volunteer opportunities for disaster relief through TBM, click here. To explore other volunteer opportunities, I recommend Unite the Church, an extremely effective organization that matches needs with ministry opportunities. To learn more, click here.

A Muslim who became a Christian offered this prayer: “O God, I am Mustafah the tailor, and I work at the shop of Muhammad Ali. The whole day long I sit and pull the needle and the thread through the cloth. O God, you are the needle and I am the thread. I am attached to you and I follow you. When the thread tries to slip away from the needle, it becomes tangled and must be cut so that it can be put back in the right place. O God, help me to follow you wherever you may lead me.”

Whose thread are you?