All of the preparation and anticipation of ministry in Nepal that we have had for the last few days was finally answered today. Today was the first official day we would be working with Brian and his ministry team to go into the communities that were worst affected by the quake. Usually the first ministry day after a travel day and debrief is taken off by the logistics coordinators to have some time to recover from all of the stress and extra responsibilities of transporting 50 people between countries. But I knew from past experience how important hat first day of ministry is for me to really connect and to be on the same page with their mission, and it was definitely a day to remember!
Our day starts off at about 10 in the morning when we walk to another ministry house for a time of worship and prayer for the day ahead. After worship we were all given 45 minutes to go anywhere in the house or in the roof or in the yard to spend along time with our Father. Time set aside to pray for the day and for the people we will meet and our hearts. I immediately went to the roof knowing I needed to observe Gods majestic handiwork of the mountains as I spent time with Him. So I stood up there observing His creation and overlooking part of the city, looking for the words to speak. After a few average prays I was prompted to look to some of David’s exaltations for him to reveal some of Gods attributes to me. Flipping through the middle of my Bible, I found a page that was dog eared. I don’t recall marking that page, nor was there any sort of indication of using that page ever before, but I figured it a good place to start. Psalm 46 was the first full Psalm on that page, so that is where I began. Psalm 46:1 reads:
God is our refuge and strength,
Always ready to help in times of trouble.
I took a moment after reading that verse. How cool is it that God has orchestrated our journey so that we are right here at this time to help these people in their time of trouble and God is our and their refuge and strength and ready to help us and them in our time of trouble. I was already encouraged by this Psalm, and then I went on to read verse 2:
So we will not fear when earthquakes come
And mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
As soon as I saw the word earthquake in that verse I really started to freak out and immediately knew this passage was divine! Because God helps us in times of trouble, we need not fear these earthquakes and tremblings. How comforting will that be to the Nepali people right after such devastation. I was so excited to see how else this passage would speak to the situation in Nepal right now. Continuing from verse 4:
A river brings joy to the city of our God,
The sacred home of the Most High.
God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God will protect it.
The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms will crumble!
Gods voice thunders, and the earth melts!
The Lord of Heavens Armies is here among us;
The God of Israel is our fortress.
Through these verses we can see Gods protection when he is with us. A city that God dwells in cannot be destroyed, He will protect it. He is the commander of all armies and of everything that is going on. He has control over it all. Again he is our fortress and refuge and provides for us when we are in need. I love reading verse 8:
Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
See how he brings destruction upon the world.
Here we see Gods plan in everything. His glorious works are directly compared to His destruction. His glory can and will be found through destruction and hard times.
And finally in verse 10 it says:
Be still and know that I am God,
I will be honored by every nation
I will be honored throughout the world
Here I was standing on a roof in Kathmandu, overlooking the mountains that were just shaken by God and a city that was destroyed by His glorious works. Yet I felt an incredible peace and stillness. I knew that He is God and that He is good and everything He allows is in His plan and in His will. Sometimes it is hard to see that through the rubble and through the destruction, but I found this passage to be incredibly comforting for myself and would be great to share with the people of Nepal who have been directly effected by is disaster. It shows Gods power and His great present which brings us to our knees in a sense of awe, yet shows His comforting hand of protection and his steadfastness that we can grasp onto in times of trouble.
