It's a disaster, part II

Continuing on in John chapter 11, we are studying and thinking on what to do when disaster strikes. We need our Father all the time; we should strive to walk with Him, trust Him, and rely on Him all the time.
When a disaster comes, we will have a shelter that can protect us from the storm. Our relationship is with the God Who will shield us and deliver us.
I'm sure that we have all heard the saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get God." In this chapter we see two sisters who faced a horrific time in their lives, and they did just that. We can learn from what they did in a time of crisis.

Remember the story from chapter 11? Jesus was close friends with Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Lazarus got sick, and his sisters sent word to Jesus. But Jesus does not leave immediately; when He does arrive in Bethany, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.

Martha and Mary are distressed and grieving and ask Him, "Why didn't you come?" You have to imagine that tears were streaming as they said, "If you had been here, our brother would be alive!"
In the stunning climax to the chapter, Jesus tells them that this is not the end. He makes His way to the tomb, and prays, and Lazarus arises, coming out of the tomb bound up in the grave clothes. Jesus tells them to remove them so he can move around -- he's alive!

The first thing I think we can learn from this, and apply to our lives, is this: Our prayer-life must be a priority.

The first thing that Mary and Martha did was to send word to Jesus.
When the one we love is sick, or when a crisis hits our lives, the first thing we need to do is just what they did . . . send word to Jesus. Whether it is a death, an accident, a diagnosis, the breakdown of a relationship -- no matter what it is, the first thing to do is tell Jesus. You see, when a crisis hits us, and knocks us down to our knees, instead of struggling to stand up, we need to realize: we are in perfect position to pray!
 
Prayer changes things. Seriously. It does.
We are communicating with the creator of the universe, and things happen. We are calling on the greatest power in the world or beyond. But too many times we lack the faith that our prayers will make a difference.
Why?
Because many times, we fall into the trap of not praying until we have tried everything else. We should not use prayer as a last resort -- it should be our first option!

Mary and Martha could send word to Jesus because they had a close friendship, a relationship with Jesus. If they had not known Him, they would have been in an awful position. Where could they have turned?

If you are without Jesus as your Lord and Savior as you read this today; if you have not accepted His gift of salvation, then it is plain. You don't know Jesus. All of us must take Jesus as our Savior, and repent of our sins. We will have new life with Him, and we'll never be alone again. When disaster hits, we will have Him to help us.

If you are not certain that you've accepted Him, please look over to the right-hand side of this page and click on the link labeled, "What is Salvation?" Please read it carefully and decide for yourself to take Him at His word, and accept the gift of salvation. Pray and tell Him your desire, and then make time each day to talk with Him and to study your Bible. If you like, you can let us know of your decision, but you don't have to.
You can rest assured that He hears you, He loves you, and He rejoices in your coming to Him. And when disaster hits, He is going to be there for you!