Natural disaster or not, Jesus Christ is the only hope for Los Angeles, your community, and the world.
If you are an individual or family living with disability and you have been impacted by the fires, you are not alone! Contact us today and let us know your needs. We are here and ready to provide hands-on help and spiritual support.
Partner with Joni and Friends to support families with disability who have been impacted by the Southern California wildfires.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a follow up on the fire disaster in L.A.
And it is a disaster. A natural disaster. With gale force winds, a severe drought, low humidity; with the hills thick with dry brush. It had all the makings of a fire disaster here in the greater Los Angeles area. And last week, it happened. It happened so fast, so violently, everyone was caught off guard. The fires erupted on January the 7th, sweeping across the Southland and killing twenty-four people and displacing thousands. More than 12,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed and, as of today, Wednesday, first responders are still actively fighting the flare-ups as winds continue to gust. There’s no doubt; this is a tragedy.
We have been praying for dear friends who have lost their homes, and also for countless others who’ve also lost everything. Then there are schools and nursing homes, grocery stores, gas stations, all of them destroyed. I'm sure you saw the footage of that long stretch of Malibu beachfront properties; all of them right on the edge of the ocean – virtually every house gone up in smoke. And you know, I’ve heard some people wonder about God’s purposes, his plan. And I wondered the same. But this early on, none of us have any idea what God is doing, but we do know this: he is moving in people’s hearts. Neighborhoods are coming together and helping each other. Food and clothing is being distributed and the Gospel is on display as churches set up distribution centers in their parking lots, providing water, bags of groceries; even diapers. My friend Shirley lost her home in the Eaton Canyon fire. She escaped with just the clothes on her back. The next day she and a friend went to J. Jill to get her a few items, and when the clerk discovered that Shirley had lost her home in the fire, she cut her a huge discount. Right then and there, Shirley had a chance to display the Gospel to the people in that clothing store. So, yes, there will come a time when we will understand God’s purposes [maybe], but for now, the Gospel is going forth. And you and I can pour fuel on that Gospel-giving fire through our prayers. We can ask the Lord to pour out his consolation and comfort. For the Holy Spirit to mercifully draw families to Jesus Christ. And would you please pray for Joni and Friends, as we seek out people with disabilities that we can help? The disabled here have unique needs and our ministry stands ready to provide Christ-centered love, Gospel encouragement, and practical help. And if you want to know how you can help, just go to our website at joniandfriends.org
And may we all remember that our worldly possessions – even our homes – are so transitory; our lives here today, gone tomorrow like a wisp of smoke. So, when it comes to L.A., we need to do what Job’s friends did, at least in the beginning. Job 2:11-13 says, “These friends met together by agreement to go and sympathize with [Job] and comfort him…they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”
Oh, friends, thank you for praying that God’s will be done here in L.A. And that he will provide that comfort. That his will, his Word tells us to weep with those who weep. And then, pray without ceasing. And may our actions of practical care and compassion here in L.A. prove that Jesus Christ is our hope. He is the only hope for us all of Los Angeles. Jesus is the only hope for your community. He is the only hope for all the world.
© Joni and Friends