Japan: After Empathy and Aid, People Want Answers - John Piper

Priorities

First things first.
When Christians see suffering they feel empathy. We too have bodies (Hebrews 13:3). Therefore, love commands, “Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).
Then comes aid. We want to help relieve human suffering—all of it, especially eternal suffering:

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

And that includes enemies:

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27);
If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink (Romans 12:20).

But sooner or later people want more than empathy and aid—they want answers.

Proclamation and Power

When love has wept and worked, it must have something to say about God. It doesn’t need to have all the answers. Only God does. But it has the Bible, and the Bible is not silent on this matter.
No earthquakes in the Bible are attributed to Satan. Many are attributed to God.¹ This is because God is Lord of heaven and earth:

He commands even winds and water, and they obey him (Luke 8:25);
He sends forth His command to the earth. . . . He gives snow like wool; He scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold? . . . He makes his wind blow and the waters flow (Psalm 147:15-18);
He looks on the earth and it trembles . . . touches the mountains and they smoke! (Psalm 104:32);
[He] shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble (Job 9:6).

Earthquakes are ultimately from God. Nature does not have a will of its own. And God owes Satan no freedom. What havoc demons wreak, they wreak with God’s permission. And God has reasons for what he permits. His permissions are purposes. That's the point of Job 1-2 and Luke 22:31-32.

Purpose

God does nothing without an infinitely wise and good purpose:

He is wise and brings disaster (Isaiah 31:2);
The Lord is good (Psalm 100:5);
All his works are right and his ways are just (Daniel 4:37).

Therefore, God has a good and all-wise purpose for the heart-rending calamity in Japan on March 11, 2011 that appears to have cost tens of thousands of lives.
Indeed, he has hundreds of thousands of purposes, most of which will remain hidden to us until we are able to grasp them at the end of the age:

How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (Romans 11:33);
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Yet there are possible purposes revealed in the Bible that we may pray will come to pass:

1. The end-time earthquakes in the book of Revelation (see above) are meant as calls to repentance—to warn people who deny Jesus Christ that a day is coming when unbelievers will cry to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16).
2. The end-time earthquakes in Matthew 24:7-8 are meant to be interpreted as “the beginning of the birth pangs.” That is, they are a wake-up call to this world that God's kingdom will soon be born. So be alert and prepare to meet Jesus Christ.
3. God's unilateral taking of thousands of lives is a loud declaration that “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). The message for all the world is that life is a loan from God (Luke 12:20) and belongs to him. He creates it and gives it and takes it according to his own will and owes us nothing. He has a right both to children (2 Samuel 12:15) and to the aged (Luke 2:29). It is a great gift to learn this truth and dedicate our lives to their true owner rather than defraud him till it is too late.
4. The power felt in an earthquake reveals the fearful magnificence of God. This is a great gift since “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). Most of the world does not fear the Lord and therefore lacks saving wisdom. The thunder-clap summons to fear God is a mercy to those who live.
5. When the earth shakes under our feet there is a dramatic sense that there is no place to flee. In most disasters the earth is the one thing that stands firm when wind and flood are raging. But where do you turn when the earth itself is unsafe? Answer: God.

Pray

And let us pray that in this catastrophe the Lord fulfills two other purposes:

1. That Christians repent of worldliness. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
2. That Christians in Japan and around the world would step forward with extraordinary, sacrificial love to show more clearly the mercy of Christ who laid down his life in the midst of the Father's judgment. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ for the sin of the world is the one place where empathy, aid, and answers meet. He invites everyone to come for all three.

O how fragile this life is. The world, and all its life-sustaining processes seem so sure and solid. They are not. One thing is sure and solid:

Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:28).

¹ 2 Samuel 22:8; Isaiah 13:13; 24:18-20; 29:6; Psalm 60:2; Nahum 1:5-6; Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13-14; 16:18

by: John Piper 

Sometimes there are no immediate answers. - Psalm 86:6-7

I saw this and was thinking about the people in Japan, please pray for those people suffering right now.

Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.

— Psalm 86:6-7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Sometimes there are no immediate answers. We have prayed and cried and tried and gone sleepless and mourned and shouted. Still there are no answers. The days roll by in an agonizing parade of pain. Still there are no answers we can identify. What do we do? We go to the Psalms. We let them raise up our heart's cry. We are honest with the God of the entire universe and yet we can still anticipate mercy from him. We are convinced that in our troubles, he will not only hear us, but he will also care about what is happening in our lives.

My Prayer...

Almighty God, the only true Healer of disease and Mender of broken hearts, please hear the cry today of those I love who are in such desperate situations. May your will be done in every one of their lives with tenderness, grace, and a sense of your presence. And Lord, please be near me, and help me see your answer to my prayers. Forever yours in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Credit: http://www.verseoftheday.com/

What is prayer?

Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.

The Bible speaks much of prayer. But, sometimes, too often, we ignore prayer and seek to accomplish in the strength of our own wills those things that we desire to have or happen. For those of us who are too often guilty of this, we need to bow our knees, confess our sin, receive God's forgiveness, and beg that the will of the Lord be done above our own. God is sovereign and loving and He knows what is best for us and others, even if it doesn't always seem to make the most sense.

We so often come to the Lord with legitimate requests for healing, conversions, and needs and yet the answers we hope for often do not come. We wonder and sometimes doubt. Yet, we persevere and praise God. We pray because we know that God hears us and because we desire to see results. We should pray by faith, trusting God. We should pray consistently, trusting God. We should pray for healing, trusting God. We should pray for others, trusting God. We should pray and when our prayers are answered or are not answered remember this: If we knew what the Lord knew, we wouldn't change a thing.

Prayer changes the one praying because in prayer, you are in the presence of God as you lay before Him your complete self in confession and dependence. There is nothing to hide when in quiet supplication we are reaching into the deepest part of ourselves and admitting our needs and failures. In so doing, our hearts are quieted and pride is stripped and we enjoy the presence of God. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

I am reminded of another benefit of prayer: peace. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus," (Phil. 4:6-7).

I suppose that we can test our prayer life and dependence upon God by the peace or lack of peace in our hearts. In all things we are to seek the Lord and in His continued presence peace will surely be our gain.

Prayer is the practice of the presence of God.

by CARM.org

Prayer request from you; Let me have 'em!

Hello everyone! I am running behind on recording Episode 9 of the study of 1 Peter.(Get Episode 8 Here) I'm in Prayer while writing the script right now and thought I would drop a line to all of you on anything you might want to Prayed about?

What is going on in your life that you are struggling with? Is there someone you know who is is need of prayer? If the payer requests make it in before I record the Podcast I will add them in if you want.

Prayer is a powerful thing and as Christians prayer should always be out "go to" when we need God.

Respond to this post or send me a message! God Bless all of you....

"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. " (1 John 5:14-15).

Haiti mission trip support request for a good friend.(Date Correction)

Hello everyone! I have a request for prayers, and if you can, monetary support for a good friend who will be making a short-term mission trip to Haiti. Anthony is a great guy, I have known him since we where kids and he has a big heart for serving the Lord! I am getting this out a bit late so a quick response would be great!

Their team of 11 is based out of Berean Community Church in Rochester, MN. They will be leaving March 27, 2011 and returning April 6, 2011. They will be spending time in Ennery and Limbe (home base) for Grace Missions. God willing they will try to serve others in nearby towns. This team is very motivated to serve God and the people of Haiti in the midst of the recent Hurricane fallout and cholera outbreak. Below is from Anthony about their goals:

Anthony on a previous trip to Haiti
playing with some children.

“Our primary purpose in going continues to be the same – to share the good news of Jesus and be a light to others. Whereas some people going on the trip are first timers and don’t know what to expect, I am hoping to accomplish some things that I have not been able to during my last two visits. For example, there is a little person (an “LP”) who lives in the town of Cap Hatien who I would like to visit. Cap Hatien is the town we fly in and out of and I have seen this individual sitting on the sidewalk on both my trips leaving. There is also a park in the town of Limbe where I would like to speak and share the good news of Jesus with others. I have built relationships with people in Haiti during my past two trips and I want to continue to be an encouragement to them.

Clean water supplies are very scarce in Haiti and as such, our team has been hoping and praying about building a well at the church in Limbe or even at our sister church in Ennery. Finally, the bible says in James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Grace missions is already making an impact taking care of orphans. We are hoping somehow make an impact on the lives of the elderly in Haiti.”

They have been asked to raise $1300 and you can participate by praying, donating or both! Part of the money will be given to the people of Haiti who serve them meals during their trip. Please prayerfully consider supporting Anthony and his team. Give as your heart leads you not out of compulsion or necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver! (2 CORINTHIANS 9:7)

Below is a list from Anthony of things to be in prayer about for their team:

• That God's plans would be the mission team's plans.
• The current unrest in Haiti to settle down.
• That God would break us of ourselves and we would seek His leading in sharing the gospel in Haiti.
• Funds and resources for the trip. We have raised 20% of the funds needed for the trip.
• Lord willing, a well could be drilled while we are there in Ennery where our sister church is located - providing clean water to the people of Ennery.
• My strength and stamina. It will be a tough trip for me, but Jesus didn't go to the easy places - He went to the hard places.

Updates here

Prayer is the biggest need for our team, but if the Spirit leads to give finances toward this trip, people can send donations to:

Berean Community Church
3157 Kenosha Drive
Rochester, MN 55902

Checks should be made out to Berean Community Church with "Haiti Missions Trip" in the memo line.

Prayers for Scott Bloom

Scott Bloom was recently injured in a car accident with his friend Kenny in late December 2010. The truck that they were in flipped 5 times on Kellogg Mill road(Virgina, USA) and they were both ejected from the truck. Approximately 45 minutes later, Scott was found 20 feet from the truck.  Read more>>

Prayer is a very powerful thing and Scott could use prayers right now. Please pray and if the Lord places it on your heart to reach out and help Scott please find the information on how to give on his website. 

Thanks for checking in, God bless >>John

Mercy Me - Homesick (Live)

Such an awesome song. Please, say a prayer for our Troops and their families.

Prayer Request for Caroline.

Hello all, please add my friends little cousin to your prayers.

His message below:

"Please keep my little Cousin Caroline in your prayers. She is still in the ICU. She is such an amazing little girl with a great heart. Please help us keep the good energy going! Prayer can work and if we all do it together miracles can happen. Thank you all so much!"

Father God, please hear our prayers for little Caroline. Father hear our pleas for healing and bring comfort to Caroline and her family. Father,please be with the Doctors as they work on her. Your love is amazing, please hold these people in your healing hands and loving arms. May your grace and mercy poor over her. In Jesus Christ name we pray, Amen

Thank you and God bless!