Ministry to People Caught in a Tragedy

Tornadoes have an unbelievable power to destroy, kill and maim. Christians must get used to helping people caught by the twisters.

In 1974 my wife two children and I spent an uneasy night curled up against the south-west wall of our walk out basement hoping and praying that one of the many, many tornadoes spotted around Cincinnati would not come swirling over the big hill behind our house near the University of Cincinnati and take it apart like a stack of pick up sticks. We fortunately escaped all of the some 100 storms that ravaged our area and made a splintered mess of so many homes and trees.

The next day, our entire staff skipped our weekly meeting to drive out to Cleves and see if we could be of assistance. We drove over to the Presbyterian Church where the Pastor and people had set up an emergency relief station and gawked at the damage done to so many big buildings.

One of our colleagues commented that he was not scared during the night because he was sure that his brick house was stronger than any wind storm. After a quick tour of the west side of our city he changed his mind and had real fear that he had not been fearful enough.

Last week we saw a spate of huge twisters tear through the heart of our nation and tear the hearts out of our nation's people. One town of some 1600 people was almost completely blasted off the earth by a storm a half mile wide.

In the aftermath hundreds of volunteers showed up from around the state and offered hugs, food, prayers, love and water. Almost no one refuses godly compassion after a storm or in one.

When I entered the pastoral ministry I was scared that I did not know what to say to make people feel better after a tragedy. I need not have worried. There is nothing one can say to make people feel better.

It is not word but works of love and a practical nature and a listening ear that make us valuable. We cannot bring back their possessions or keepsakes or loved one lost. But by weeping with them and laughing at the craziness of a straw pushed through a tree by the force of the wind we show ourselves to be just as human as they. And that makes a victim feel better.

And prayer helps. It always helps. Not as a defense or a rationale for those "Acts of God" as they are called but because they show we too have a need for the Almighty to show Himself compassionate in the hour of need.