For anyone who watches the news,
the horrible conditions in the Philippines are no surprise. Numbers vary with
each report, but the latest that I heard was that 9.7 million people have been
affected by the typhoon that hit there on Saturday. 650,000 people are
displaced, and the death toll is rising. People are hungry, without shelter,
and have lost everything. As if the typhoon weren’t enough, the country was
still reeling from a 7.1 earthquake in October, and a smaller 4.8 quake hit one
of the southern islands yesterday. These are a people who are hurting.
“Arise, Lord! Lift up
your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.” Psalm 10:12
If you are anything like me, your heart goes out to those in
who have lost so much, who are in such deep need. You are moved, but don’t know
what you can do. I know that I feel helpless in the face of such overwhelming
tragedy.
We are not helpless.
“For He will deliver the needy
who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the
weak and needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from
oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” Psalm 72:12-14
We are the children of the King. We have infinite resources.
We can all do our part.
So, what can we do?
1. We can pray.
“The prayer of a
righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:15. There are multiple
verses in scripture that remind us to pray, to pray without ceasing, to pray in
faith. Pray. Pray some more.
2. We can
give. I attend River Rock Church in Vancouver, Washington. We have 16 churches
in the Philippines, most of them on the island of Panay and on Palawan, right
where the eye of the storm went through. Our church is networking with other
churches and denominations on the island to immediately provide food and meet
other needs. The people of the area are extremely poor and have little
resources to rebuild or care for their families. We are the Body of Christ. It
is time for us to do what we can to remind these people that God has not
forgotten them.
This Sunday
we are launching Operation Philippines. We are launching a website (www.operationphilippines.com)
before Sunday for people to visit and see what we are doing and how they can
give. We are preparing a list of needs and will be ordering a shipping
container so that we can give of our abundance. We have already sent money to
get them started, and will raise as much as we can in the coming weeks. Every
dollar will go into rebuilding churches and houses and feeding people
immediately. We will have t-shirts available saying “I (heart) the Philippines”
to remind people to continue. If there is anyway you can participate in this
effort, please do!
3. Send money.
So often we send stuff without knowing what the needs really are, and we end up
making more problems than we solve. Find a reputable organization and send what
you can. Send through our church, or through Samaritan’s Purse (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/).
Samaritan’s Purse has had people and resources on the ground since before the
earthquake last month. They know what the local needs are, and have the systems
in place to get food and resources to people quickly.
God cares deeply about the people in the Philippines. We
can do no less. Reach out. We can't do everything, but we can do something. Do what you can. Pray without ceasing.
“But you, O God, do
see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits
himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless… You hear, O Lord, the
desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” Psalm 10:14, 17
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