In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day eight of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.

As I watch reports of shining examples of generosity and dismal examples of selfishness, here is day eight and an important reminder to live a life of generosity as you let go of selfishness.  

Let Go Of  Selfishness

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3 (NIV)

Let Go Of Selfishness

How easy is it for you to share?  Does that answer change based on how much of something you feel you have?  Why?  When help arrives in the midst of chaos, would you rather see someone else helped first or yourself?  Why?  If you find something being offered for free, do you take as much as you can or only what you need?  How can looking out for the interests of others help you have hope when in the midst of chaos?

When you lose much, it can be natural to cling to whatever you can manage to obtain.  Selfishness is one of those traits that is often easier to see in others than to see in ourselves.  Many times when a group experiences a disaster together, a camaraderie is developed that makes people open to sharing anything and everything that can be salvaged.  Other times, however, loss can lead us to selfishly cling to things we don’t even have a use for just because we don’t want to let go.  Overcoming chaos means we let go of selfishness and learn that others have needs to be met as well.  Every line has a beginning and an end and while we would probably all prefer to be at the beginning, that is simply not possible.  Letting go of selfishness doesn’t mean we no longer care, but rather now we care about everyone being taken care of and not just our self.  Especially in disaster when relief supplies are often limited, it is important that we let go of selfishness as we gain a shared concern for everyone who is also suffering.  When we don’t know if additional help is coming, it can be very tempting to take all we can whether we need it right now or not.  Letting go of selfishness helps us have hope in the midst of our chaos as we find joy in sharing with others.

As you pray, ask God to help you see any ways of selfishness that may exist in you.  Pray that you would continue to share freely, even in chaotic situations, as you learn to let go of all traces of selfishness.

In prayer,

Tom  

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day seven of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.

Here is day seven and an important reminder to ask God for the wisdom to know and follow good instruction.

Hold On To Instruction

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
Proverbs 4:13 (NIV)

Hold On To Instruction

Are you teachable?  How do you know?  What is the difference between being told what to do and being given instruction?  Which do you prefer?  Why?  How difficult is it for you to follow instructions that you don’t like?  Do you do it anyway?  What are some instructions, from God and from others, that you need to hold on to right now that would give you hope in the midst of your chaos?

You’ve probably heard the phrase countless times — “When all else fails, read the instructions.”  Well, when disaster strikes we would do well to consider that all else has failed and it is time to hold on to instruction.  This instruction will take many forms.  The most important in the long-term will be to continue to hold on to instruction from God’s Word.  Yet, even as we do that, there will be instruction that people will offer that can lead us through the chaos and toward a road of recovery.  Caution must be used when we hold on to instruction as not everyone giving instruction will always be doing so with pure and helpful motives.  Nonetheless, through time spent with God, we must seek out wise instruction and hold on to it even as we put it into practice.  You see, practice really is the key to making good use of instruction.  Whether it is the instruction of God’s Word or the instruction from someone who has experienced a disaster similar to what you are going through, it does little good to simply accumulate instruction if we’re not willing to use it.  When you hold on to godly instruction, you will find He sets you on a path of hope in the midst of your chaos.

As you pray, ask God for wisdom to discern between instruction which is good and that which is not.  Pray that you would be active in holding on to instruction as you put it into practice.  Pray for courage to share the instructions you are holding on to when it will help others.

In prayer,

Tom  

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day six of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.

Here is day six and an important reminder to pay attention to what you can do today and let go of your worry about the things you can do nothing about.

Let Go Of Worry

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Let Go Of Worry

What worries you the most about your current situation?  How would you rate your current level of worry?  Why?  Does your worry focus on what has happened, what might happen, or on what you can do today?  What is the difference?  How will letting go of worry help you to have hope in the midst of your situation of chaos?

Worry carried to an extreme can result in a paralysis that makes it impossible to see and move beyond your current circumstances.  When surrounded by the unknown of chaos, worry can easily take root in the heart of even the most carefree person.  When disaster forces us to let go of many things we would have rather kept, worrying about what we have left or how we will ever recover seems almost natural and even helpful in some way.  Yet when we give worry a foothold it isn’t long before it takes over and keeps us from seeing the daily steps of recovery that are in front of us.  Worrying about yesterday is a form of second-guessing that does us no good as no amount of worry will let us go back and change what has already happened.  Worrying about tomorrow is just as fruitless because we can’t predict the future, let alone control it.  Today’s worry might have limited usefulness, but only if it motivates us to take the action steps necessary to bring about the change we need.  But even today’s worry must be let go of as we trust God to bring hope into our current situation of chaos.

As you pray, ask God to give you a peace that dispels harmful worry as you trust in Him.  Pray that your concern for today would drive you to a responsiveness to God rather than to a mindset of worry.  Pray that you would know the great hope that God wants to give you as you let go of worry.

In prayer,

Tom  

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day five of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.

Here is day five and an important reminder to look for what is good in life and hold on to it.

Hold On To What Is Good

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV)

Hold On To What Is Good

What do you see right now that is good in your life?  In the fog of chaos, how hard do you have to look in order to find something good?  Why?  How does finding the good that God wants you to cling to help you endure your current situation?  What good do you need to hold on to today in order to have hope for tomorrow?

Holding on to what is good can be extremely difficult when the chaos you are in creates such a darkness that seeing any good is nearly impossible.  Yet often times, it is in those very dark hours that even a small glimmer of goodness shines most brightly.  I’m not talking about some sort of Pollyanna “it’s all good” kind of mentality, but rather a trust in a God who is good.  While there may be moments and days when it doesn’t feel like it, God is good and loves His children with an unchanging love.  While it’s not necessarily true that “every cloud has a silver lining”, we know that good often has to be looked for in order to be found.  As you walk through the fog of disaster, take the time to look for good.  Look for it in the surroundings you face every day.  Look for it in the people that gather to help.  Look for it in those who God will bring alongside you to provide hope.  Look for it in yourself.  And most importantly, look for it in God.  When your world looks darkest, don’t let the darkness hide all the good that remains.  When you look for and hold on to the good that God desires for you, He will grow within you a hope in the midst of your current chaos.

As you pray, ask God to help you see beyond the difficulty to find the good that remains.  Pray that you would hold on to the good that you find in life and in people.  Pray for the courage to be the good that others can hold on to in their need.  Pray that you would find hope as you hold on to God’s goodness revealed in a variety of ways.

In prayer,
Tom  

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day four of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.  The book itself is laid out with each day’s devotion alternating between something to hold on to and something to let go of in the midst of life’s chaos.  I’ll be posting a devotion from the book each day or you can find the book on Amazon.  For 5 days, March 13-17, the Kindle edition will be free and you can find it at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGGBPQ9

Here is day four and an important reminder to check your anger and deal with it in a godly way.

Let Go Of Anger

“‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” 
(Ephesians 4:26-27)

Let Go Of Anger

Does the current chaos you are experiencing make you angry?  Should it?  How does anger influence the way you respond to both people and your situation?  Does anger typically cause a good or bad response?  Explain.  How will letting go of anger free you to see your situation more clearly?

Anger is a natural emotion and reaction, especially when faced with unexpected and unreasonable loss.  The problem with anger in the midst of chaos is that it tends to cloud the vision of both our mind and our eyes.  When the Bible says, “in your anger do not sin”, I believe the instruction is to acknowledge our anger and deal with it so that we can let it go before it infects our actions.  While there may be things, circumstances, and even people that you feel you have a right to be angry with, feeding the anger will only make it grow to the point that it adds to the problem.  Letting go of the anger allows us to address the chaos, and even address the cause of the chaos, from a healthy position of resolution rather than hatred.  When we learn to be angry at the right things, we find that we can allow God to use our anger as an internal motivation for us to make changes we need to make.  It is then that we are able to let go of that anger so that we can begin to see hope in the midst of our chaos.  Unresolved and/or unaddressed anger destroys hope and it is in the addressing and resolving of our anger that we find we can let the anger go and allow hope to grow.

As you pray, ask God to help you understand why you feel angry, and specifically who or what you feel angry toward.  Pray that you would not simply attempt to hide the anger, but address it in ways that allow you to let go of it.  Pray that you would know the hope that comes through letting go of anger after it has been dealt with.

In prayer,
Tom  

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day three of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.  The book itself is laid out with each day’s devotion alternating between something to hold on to and something to let go of in the midst of life’s chaos.  I’ll be posting a devotion from the book each day or you can find the book on Amazon.  For 5 days, March 13-17, the Kindle edition will be free and you can find it at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGGBPQ9

Here is day three and an important reminder to not forget the things you still have.

Hold On To What You Have

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
(Revelation 3:11)

Hold On To What You Have

What do you have?  How difficult is it to answer that question?  Why?  In your current situation, do you tend to think more about what you have lost or about what you still have?  Why?  I don’t know what you have lost in this current crisis.  Perhaps finances, health, trust, peace of mind, freedom of activity, or an entire list of other things may have disappeared in the midst of the chaos surrounding us.  Even if it seems you have lost everything, how focused are you at holding on to faith?

One of the most difficult things for many people to do in the midst of loss is to see what they haven’t lost.  Our mind gets so focused on the disaster we faced that we become blinded to the things we still have.  As we discussed earlier, one of those things should be the people God will bring into our life to provide help and comfort.  The old hymn that says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one”, may sound trite when recovering from a disaster, but taking inventory of what you do have really is a good practice at any time.  When we begin to count more than possessions, we often find much that is within our grasp to hold on to that should give us at least glimmers of hope.  For most of us, there seems to be something within our nature that longs to possess things that we can call our own.  Even the most open and sharing child seems to learn how to say “Mine!” all on their own.  So as you do inventory of both the tangible and intangible things that you still have, find hope as you hold on to the things you have and especially to the things that can never be taken from you.

As you pray, ask God to help you grieve what you have lost even as you identify what you still have.  Pray that you would find hope and comfort through holding on to relationships that continue in the midst of your chaos.  Pray that your time of inventory would help you discover important things that God would have you hold on to.  Pray for the courage to hold loosely even as you hold on to what you have.

In prayer,
Tom  

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day two of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.  The book itself is laid out with each day’s devotion alternating between something to hold on to and something to let go of in the midst of life’s chaos.  I’ll be posting a devotion from the book each day or you can find the book on Amazon.  For 5 days, March 13-17, the Kindle edition will be free and you can find it at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGGBPQ9

Here is day two and an important reminder to let go of the things you can’t control as you trust God to bring you to a place of peace and hope in the midst of chaos.

Let Go Of Things You Can’t Control

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?”
(Matthew 6:27)

Let Go Of Things You Can’t Control

What part of your current situation feels most beyond your control?  How much do you worry about things you can’t change?  Are there things in the midst of your current chaos that you do have some control over?  How much does the lack of control over some things keep you from taking control of what you can?

Facing a disaster of any kind often brings with it a bewildering feeling of having no control over anything that is going on.  The truth is, even in our most controlling moments, we have far less control than we would like to admit.  When faced with loss, it is important to identify specific things that we simply can’t control.  Some of those things may well be the disaster which brought about the loss, as well as the timetable for any recovery.  Letting go of control doesn’t mean that we give up, or that we don’t put any effort into doing what we can, rather it means that we learn to accept that our recovery will take place on a timetable that will likely change often and is very different than what we would want.  Letting go of the things we can’t control can be one of the early steps toward trusting God to bring hope in the midst of our chaos.  It is important to remember that just because we can’t control what is going on, it doesn’t mean that it is out of His control.  Often times identifying what we can’t control, and then letting go of it, frees us to take appropriate action in the areas that can make a difference in our recovery.  Letting go of what we can’t control helps to bring hope not only because it shows our trust of God, but it allows us concentrate on the things we can still do.

As you pray, ask God to help you let go of the things that you can’t control.  Pray that He would give you wisdom in distinguishing between that which is simply difficult and that which isn’t yours to take care of.  Pray that your trust of Him would grow as you learn to let go of control.

In prayer,
Tom