No Matches

I pray because I’m helpless.

A Friend whom I deeply trust told me that, so I believe Him. He said, “Without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

As I’m writing this the west coast of the US is ablaze. Over a million acres has burned in the beautiful state of Oregon where I grew up. Thirty-five dead thus far. Hundreds of thousands are in varying degrees of flight from their homes. And that doesn’t count Washington and California. As much as my heart aches for my friends there, I can do nothing about it.

Except pray.

In many cities in our fair land you do not dare go out of your house after dark.
Chaos. Arson. Shootings. Uncivilized unrest. This is not the nation I grew up in. And I can do nothing about it.

Except pray.

A new hurricane is preparing to roar ashore in the Gulf of Mexico. That’s near
where some of our grandkids live. We’re concerned for their safety but we can do nothing about it.

Except pray.

I could go on, but I’m not detailing something you don’t know about. In my more than ¾ of a century of watching I’ve never seen anything like it. There are no
matches anywhere in our history. It’s never been like this before. Just watching the evening news can give you a profound sense of helplessness.

Except we can pray. To say that’s all we can do is like saying that all we have to breathe is air; it’s all we need.

But, brother Don, don’t be na”ive; it’s a scary time. It is, but He has promised to be our Peace. “Even when it gets nasty, you can trust Me,” He assures us. But did you see the pictures of those fires? I did. And those three Hebrew teens saw them, too. Like, up close. But the hurricanes … Yes, and remember, our Friend is Master of the storms.

Good people get hurt, too. Believers lose their property, too. Christians die in every war; even Jesus. We’re all participants in this great controversy. That’s why the Book says we are “saved by hope.” We know who wins; we know which side we’re on. Soon the pain will be over and the future will be matchless.

By Don Jacobsen