Submitted by Pastor Donna Clark Fuller,

Rock Port & Watson United Methodist Churches

“I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1

Sometimes in the midst of disaster, it is hard to see God’s steadfast love. We have had a great disaster in recent weeks. We have had the biggest flood most of us have ever seen. People have been evacuated from their homes. Farmers have lost crops and livestock. Families have been split apart by parents living on one side of the river and working on the other. Roads have been closed and it may be a long time before they are all open again. Businesses that depend on interstate traffic are suffering. It will be a long time until the damage can be completely repaired to homes and businesses.

Sometimes there is damage that cannot be seen. Trauma from having to leave one’s home quickly and leaving much behind, of trying to survive with added expenses and of the separations that have had to happen can leave many people with emotional or spiritual damage. It may be easy to wonder, where was God? Why did God let this happen? It may be easy to feel abandoned by God, to feel that we are on our own and that there is no help, except for our own abilities.

But God was here and is still here. It has always been our attempts to think we do not need God, that we can do it all ourselves, that lead to our separation from God and therefore our separation from the greatest help that can be given us. We do not have perfect knowledge of what can happen in nature. We do not have perfect control over natural forces, including the rainfall, snowfall or the flow of rivers. But with God we can have greater understanding than we can ever imagine without God.

In the midst of trying to recover from this disaster, we can also have greater understanding of the needs of those who are surviving this flood, as well as greater understanding of how we as a community can best meet those needs. One of the wonderful things I have seen in the aftermath of this flood is how many people have wanted to help. I have seen individuals, churches, community organizations, emergency personnel and government entities step up and offer help, working many hours beyond their normal work day. I know that God is speaking to all of these people. I know that God is working through all of these people. I know that we see the steadfast love of God in the hands and hearts of the people who offer their help, who hear the voice of God calling them to serve others, and who reflect God’s steadfast, undying, enormous and eternal love for all of God’s children.