Cyclone Nargis

And while we’re on the topic of natural disasters . . .

Hopefully most of my readers aren’t living under a rock and have heard about the devastating cyclone that hit Burma last week. The aftermath is horrific. As of today, more than 22,000 are dead, 41,000 missing, and 1 million are homeless. I’ve seen the homes in Burma; it wouldn’t take much to destroy one.

I remember when the tsunami hit Thailand and Indonesia. It all seemed so far away, like a completely different world. But, after visiting Burma and walking the streets of Yangon, I can’t help but have a very vivid picture of the people who are now suffering. I have friends living there, and not knowing if they were alright was an awful feeling. Luckily, I just heard that everyone is safe, but many people they work with have family who live in the Irrawaddy Delta area, which was the area most affected.

As I sit on the other side of the world, I want to help, somehow, anyhow. My thoughts have been all across the board from jumping on a flight to help clean up to sending relief supplies. But, I’m realizing that maybe the best way I can help is to pray. My friend just emailed me a verse that has been my prayer the past week:

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed a stronghold in times of need. Those who know your name, will trust in you. For you Lord have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10

Today’s news stories are filled with stories about the beliefs of the Burmese, who are for the most part Buddhist. The Irrawaddy, a news organization based in Thailand that covers the situation in Burma, ran a story yesterday about how many Burmese people believe that the disaster is the result of of the action of their oppressive military government. Yet the ruling generals were camped out in their new capital city that didn’t get hit by the storm.

As the government doesn’t seem to be recognizing the severity of the issue, I will keep praying for relief to come to the Burmese people, for international aid to be allowed in to help this once prosperous county, for the upcoming vote on a referendum on a new constitution, for the violence to end. And in the end, if nothing else happens in Burma, I pray they know they have a true king in Christ and they can take refuge in Him.

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