Rebuilding After Disaster: A Call to Action for Churches

The devastating fires sweeping through L.A. County here in Southern California have brought unimaginable loss. 35,000 acres have been scorched, over 5,000 structures have been destroyed, and over 10,000 people have lost their homes. And the impact goes far beyond material possessions. Lives have been lost and, for many, it’s the irreplaceable treasures with deep sentimental value that make this loss so painful.

But through times like these, God is near the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). And in His Word we find Nehemiah as an example of what we’re to do when facing a crisis like this.

There Is a Time to Pray, and a Time to Act.

Nehemiah was the king’s cup bearer, which meant he was in a high ranking position. He had affluence and influence. Some even think he was the second most powerful man in the kingdom! And when he found out the once proud walls of Jerusalem were lying in ruin, everything changed for him.

He was dependent on God, praying for four months as he sought His guidance. But he also took action when he asked to go rebuild the city (see Neh. 2).

Sometimes we go to extremes when it comes to wanting to see God work in our lives. We either worry and fret, never praying about it. Or we pray, but we don’t take practical steps.

Like the story of Moses and the people of Israel at the Red Sea. They were praying for God’s deliverance because the Egyptian army was in hot pursuit. But God essentially said to Moses, “Why are you praying? This is a time to move. Hold your staff out over the Red Sea and cross over on dry ground” (see Exod. 14).

Sometimes we have to just make the move. The time for intercession has passed and the time for intervention has come. It is time to take action.

It’s like when someone’s praying for their troubled marriage. That’s good, but are they doing their part? Are they loving their spouse as Scripture says one should? You have to make sure you’re doing your part while you’re praying.

We can pray all day long for God to give us the strength to do something, but sometimes you have to just do it. Take that step of faith and the emotions and feelings will catch up.

Nehemiah was a man who saw need and did something about it. As the city he cared for faced a crisis, he acted.

Take Opportunities to Do Good.

Nehemiah could have easily said “Well, that’s sad. I’ll remember you guys in my prayers!” when he heard what happened. But instead, he realized he was in a position where he had access to the king; he had the ear of the most powerful man on the earth.

Nehemiah leveraged this position of influence to help his fellow Jews in their time of hurt. We should think the same way as him: If they’re hurting, I’m hurting.

In times of crisis, like now with the wildfires, let’s take opportunities to do good. Scripture says, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

And remember, the church is a family. If someone is hurting, we should care enough to do what we can to help them.

More than once, the church is compared to the body of Christ in Scripture. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” Us Christians should not walk away, but walk toward those hurting.