It is with a heavy heart that I wrote today's devotional. For the better part of my life, I have lived in the great state of Alabama. I am an Auburn graduate, and most of my college friends moved to Birmingham after college. Many of my friends went to the University of Alabama and this week, one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports couldn't be more insignificant.
The tornadoes that ripped through the southeast on Tuesday claimed many lives, destroyed entire towns, cities, neighborhoods, homes, buildings, and memories. Sure, we had our share of bad weather in Knoxville, TN, but nothing to the extent of the disaster and destruction the people in Alabama endured.
In watching the news reports and seeing the video footage and photos, it almost seems surreal, but the devastation caused by the tragic storms on Wednesday are sadly a reality for far too many survivors. All over the southeast, there are stories of a family surviving in one home, and right next door, a family is mourning the loss of a loved one.
I have been struggling for the right words to say. When someone is suffering, it's almost too easy to say "I'll be praying for you." Are my prayers really going to comfort someone who has lost a loved one and/or everything they own?
When disaster strikes and we lose everything, we must not lose our faith in the process. This is easy for me to say...my family is safe and healthy, my home is still standing, I have clean water and electricity.
Sometimes, the only hope we have left may be God's promises. God loves His people and while it may be easier to blame Him for a natural disaster like an earthquake, flood, or tornado, He is not capable of doing bad. He hears His people when they cry out to Him for help.
I pray for the many people that are suffering and hope that God's glory, grace, peace, and provision will be made known to all.
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