Tornado-Ravaged Joplin, MO
As I drove through the tornado-ravaged neighborhoods of Joplin, MO on my first disaster relief trip earlier this summer, Chris Tomlin‘s “I Lift My Hands”* played on K-Love (90.7 in Joplin). While my mind attempted to process the devastation and the loss for this community, God provided this simple response encouraging me to, “lift my hands to believe again.”
I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever
~ Chris Tomlin, “I Lift My Hands”
During my second trip to Joplin, as I was serving on a siding crew for CBN’s Operation Blessing‘s first rebuild in the city (see video), Christy Nockels‘ newest single, “Waiting Here for You,”* played. Of all the songs we heard the first day on the build, that one brought a unique sense of peace to the tasks at hand.
If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for you, I’m waiting here for you
~ Christy Nockels, “Waiting Here for You”
Hope in Joplin, MO
Joplin is waiting for a much-needed extra dose of God’s presence to descend on a grieving, tired and broken city. Some of them are waiting in hospitals, others at homes of friends and family, and others in tents behind their own uninhabitable homes … but they are waiting and hoping for a promised new life after the storm.
You are everything You’ve promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we’re desperate for Your presence
All we need is You … Waiting here for You
~ Christy Nockels, “Waiting Here for You”
When life breaks this bad, there’s only one hope for survival, for healing, for new life. There’s only one source of strength and hope that can carry us through the pain, uncertainty and loss. As Joplin faces the overwhelming road to restoring their city, I can’t help but want them to hear these reminders of God’s love and power in the midst of difficulty.
If I could I would play K-Love through a very large megaphone over the city while emergency workers, city employees, residents and volunteers continue the hard work of debris removal, grief, insurance negotiations, confusion, rebuilding and hope. Hope can be hard work … to keep hoping when all you can see around you is destruction, broken lives a mile wide and six miles long.
Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are a fortress for the weak … Let faith arise
~ Chris Tomlin, “I Lift My Hands”
With a megaphone pointed to the rest of the world, I would share the work of Operation Blessing, the Christian Broadcasting Network’s disaster relief organization (CBN/700 Club). Complimenting the efforts of Samaritan’s Purse, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the United Way, OB’s US Disaster Relief team, led by Jody Herrington-Gettys and Dan Moore, coordinated the debris removal requests and home repair needs of Joplin residents affected by the tornado with the help of OB crew staff, equipment and volunteers**.
Siding Team for First Operation Blessing Rebuild in Joplin
Support of Operation Blessing, via time and finances, brought new hope to the Joplin community. Ongoing support of OB will continue the flow of hope into devastated regions of the US and 105 other countries around the world. For those of us graced to be living in less-ravaged seasons of life, we have the opportunity to pass on that grace to others in need. We can be a river of Christ’s love winding around Joplin and Birmingham, Ukraine and Thailand, Sudan and Haiti during these difficult days.
Be still, there is a river
That flows from Calvary’s tree
A fountain for the thirsty
Pure grace that washes over me
So let faith arise
Let faith arise
Open my eyes
Open my eyes
~ Chris Tomlin, “I Lift My Hands”
* Download Chris Tomlin’s “I Lift My Hands” from his 2011 release, And If Our God Is For Us, and Christy Nockels’ “Waiting Here For You” from the Passion 2011 release, Here For You, on iTunes.
** To volunteer with Operation Blessing, complete the volunteer form on their website or call (757) 226-3407. Volunteers need to be at least 16 years of age, and 16 & 17 year-olds must have a waiver signed by a parent. They currently provide housing and meals for volunteers able to travel to devastated regions in the US.
