{"id":23774,"date":"2018-09-02T03:30:34","date_gmt":"2018-09-02T10:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=23774"},"modified":"2018-08-30T12:28:25","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T19:28:25","slug":"september-2-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/09\/02\/september-2-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"September 2, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0<\/em>\u201cTo console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0Isaiah 61:3<\/p>\n

Beauty For Ashes<\/h2>\n

It was 2:00 a.m. on July 26 when we were abruptly awakened by a CHP officer pounding on our front door, alerting us that the Carr Fire was rapidly heading our way and we needed to evacuate as soon as possible. In a frenzied state of mind, we grabbed some essentials and left to stay with family away from the fire. As we drove away, I distinctly remember the ashes falling like snow from the sky and wondering if we would ever see our home again.<\/p>\n

Preparing myself for the worst, the words to a song* became my \u201cmantra\u201d: \u00a0\u201cYou give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be Your Name.\u201d Fortunately, our home had survived, and I would not have to be tested in this.<\/p>\n

The next few days as we watched the news, we were so grateful for, and prayed for, the many men and women who gave their all to battle this merciless, unpredictable wildfire, as they labored to save as many homes as possible. At the same time, we were saddened to hear that eight people had lost their lives as a result of the fire.<\/p>\n

Two weeks later as we were allowed to return home; the reality of this disaster hit hard. What I saw literally \u201csmacked my senses.\u201d It was shocking to see what looked like a war zone: life had been reduced to skeletons of trees and blackened sticks; rubble, twisted metal, and burned-out vehicles lay amid the ashes.<\/p>\n

All that white ash\u00a0<\/strong>that covered the ground reminded me of what Jesus told His disciples in John 4:35b: \u201cBehold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white\u00a0<\/strong>for harvest!\u201d\u00a0<\/em>They are\u00a0\u201cweary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd\u201d<\/em>(Matthew 9:36). Then He said to them, \u201cThe harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(Luke 10:2).<\/p>\n

Thank God there is a hope for \u201csuch a time as this.\u201d He is a Redeemer and uses tragedies like this to draw the afflicted to Himself, to give them \u201cbeauty for ashes\u201d <\/em>which can never be lost or taken away. <\/em>Sometimes earthly loss can result in heavenly gain!<\/p>\n

Pastor Rick has encouraged us to come alongside these hurting people with the love of God as they heal and work through the process of getting back to a \u201cnew normal.\u201d It will take a lot of time, resources and hard work, not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually, and we can be a part of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLord, You have anointed us for such a time as this. In Your love send us out to comfort and console those who mourn. I ask that You would give them beauty for ashes and joy in their journey as they rebuild their lives on a solid foundation<\/strong>. All for Your glory, Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

*<\/em>Beth Redman | Matt Redman \u00a9 2002 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)<\/p>\n<\/div>

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