Hungry for Hope

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

We traveled to La Place, Louisiana this past weekend to help in the damage assessment of homes impacted by Hurricane Ida which made landfall in August of last year. We assessed 7 homes on Saturday. As we drove down the streets lined with houses, hundreds of houses representing hundreds of families, with blue tarps on the roofs and debris next to the road, I was reminded of Waveland, Mississippi. Driving across I-10, travelers would be unaware of the "silent struggle" the people, just a few miles away are living in. The media has forgotten them - having moved on to the next crisis and so has the country. 

When we met with each family, listened to their stories, saw the hunger in their eyes for things to return to normal - for things to get better - we were reminded why we committed our lives to serving others. At the end of each visit, we asked if we could pray with them and for them. In every case, their eyes brightened and they would say, "I never refuse prayer". So standing in their yard, driveway, or living room we prayed.

 "... pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16

As Christians, we are to be messengers of hope. We should point people to God. I spoke to one woman about Philippians 4:6-7. She was not good at remembering scripture references, so I started to share the verse and she finished everything after "Be anxious". With another woman, I told her that God had not forgotten her. She looked at me and said, "thank you" I needed to hear that. I shared the Haitian Creole song that the children in the orphanage sang - "God has not forgotten me, He knows my name." To another, a Vietnam veteran, I shared my military background - particularly about Vietnam. I changed from a stranger to a brother. When we prayed with him, he told me that he was a Christian and a deacon.

The main reason we met those families was not to record the damage to their homes, but to give them hope and remind them that God has not forgotten them. And so it is with the people you meet everyday.  You don't have to be a preacher, a teacher, a missionary to share a message of hope and to pray with and for people.  You just have to let the Spirit of God shine through you. We have never had anyone refuse prayer when offered. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but that will be seldom when you are responding to the prompting of the Spirit.  

"Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" - 1 Peter 3:15

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone