by Dale Reeves

Story Pastor

 

Three times a week I read the current news with over one million others through the “politically-neutral, Christ-first” perspective that “The Pour Over” (TPO) offers. On Monday of this week, TPO shared:

“A flash flood tore through the Texas Hill Country early Friday, killing at least 70, including 21 children. The Guadalupe River surged over 20 feet in forty-five minutes, swallowing homes, RVs, and cabins. Among the hardest-hit areas was Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls ages 7-17 located on the river. . . . eleven campers and a counselor remain unaccounted for . . . the camp director died saving campers.”

 

I recommend this news source over other biased and incorrect news sources. You can subscribe to their emails free here.

 

Since that report, as of Thursday evening we now know the river actually rose 36 feet, and at least 120 people died across six counties in Texas, including 36 children (families connected to Camp Mystic are grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors). Rescue crews continue to comb through the region, searching for any survivors—though the likelihood of finding any grows slimmer by the day. There are still 170 missing people in the wake of the devastating flooding. As many folks on social media are engaging in all kinds of finger-pointing for this tragic loss of property and lives, others are asking, “Where was God in the flood?” There are no easy answers, and I won’t attempt to answer all the questions, except to say that this is not God’s judgment on the state of Texas and many innocent children who are now in the arms of Jesus. This is another horrific example of a fallen world that groans, but Jesus’ kingdom advances in spite of the birth pains we experience. God is still good, but his goodness is not circumstantial.

 

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:22, 23, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (NIV).

 

In a very helpful post on Facebook entitled, “Where Was God in the Flood?” Scott Reece, lead pastor of River City Church, in Moline, IL, has written the following:

“Could God have stopped the flood? Yes. Could He have preserved every life? Absolutely. Did He have the power to send angels, divert waters, or awaken every camper before danger came? Without question. And yet, He didn’t. . . . There are moments in life where divine sovereignty doesn’t align with human expectation, and in those moments, our theology must not collapse, it must deepen. . . . The deeper question is, ‘Why does He sometimes choose restraint, even when it breaks His own heart?’ The cross is our clearest example. Jesus could have called twelve legions of angels to prevent His crucifixion, but He didn’t. Not because He couldn’t, but because there was a greater purpose at work, a redemptive plan hidden within suffering. Could this be one of those moments? We do not claim to know the full mind of God (Isaiah 55:8, 9), but we do know this, His delay is never His absence, and His silence is never His apathy.”

 

May we continue to pray for the grieving families who have lost precious loved ones, and offer prayers for strength and fortitude for the rescuers and chaplains who are offering emotional and spiritual care to broken-hearted communities in the Lone-Star State.

 

Dayenu

It is in times like these when we don’t have answers that we have to lean into God, knowing that he is more than enough to meet whatever tragic situations we must walk through in this life. This past Sunday at Christ’s Church, I taught on the Hebrew word Dayenu, which can be translated in English, “It is sufficient,” or “It would have been enough.” In case you missed that teaching, you can check it out here. Dayenu is the title of a Hebrew praise song that is sung during the Passover seder. The lyrics of the song recap the many miracles the Israelites experienced throughout the book of Exodus. Traditionally, the song enumerates 15 examples of God’s grace, such as, “If He had split the sea for us and had not taken us through it on dry land . . . it would have been enough”; “If He had given us the Shabbat and not brought us before Mt. Sinai . . . it would have been enough”; “If He had given us the Torah and not brought us into the land of Israel . . . it would have been enough.”

 

After our worship experiences on Sunday, I received a note from one of our difference makers in our church, who wrote, “When is enough enough? That is something we all need to keep in mind when we find ourselves with thoughts of not having enough of anything or trying to quench that unquenchable thirst.”

 

What lyrics would you add to this song? What has God done in your life that if he hadn’t gone above and beyond in answering your prayers, it “would have been enough”? The song is a call for gratitude and contentment for all that God has done in our lives—even when life throws unspeakable tragedy our way.

 

He Is Enough

I’ve been thinking about Dayenu all week as I’ve prayed for all those who have been grieving in the state of Texas since the July 4th weekend. I’ve heard many stories as I’m sure you have also. But two of them stand out to me. A mother whose daughter died at Camp Mystic expressed gratitude for the eight years they had together. She described her daughter, Eloise, as a friend to everyone, and someone who loved animals and spaghetti.

 

Blair and Brooke Harber, ages 13 and 11, were vacationing with their family in the Casa Bonita cabin community in Hunt, Texas. They were staying in a cabin with their grandparents. Their parents, Annie and RJ, were lodged farther up the hill, away from the river. The bodies of the two sisters were discovered about 15 miles downstream, but their hands were locked together when the rescuers found them. As their parents walk through a grief journey no one should ever have to go through, my prayer is that God will be enough for them, and that they will feel his loving embrace locked around their souls.

 

HE. IS. ENOUGH.

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, ESV).