I Want You to Meet Terri
As I write this devotion, another Hurricane is getting ready to hit Louisiana and Mississippi. Can you imagine how those folks feel? They can’t get their property repaired from one hurricane before another lines up to hit them!
I remember when Isabel hit the Norfolk area, there was devastation everywhere. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) came to help us. They told me recovery would be long and to hire some people who would stay there and help. I hired Terri Woods to coordinate work teams, and what a blessing she was! She greeted folks who had lost everything with a smile and told them it was going to be okay. She coordinated teams from all over the country to come and rebuild. One by one, the people who lost everything were reestablished and began to have hope for a new day because the United Methodist Church was helping them have a “new day.”
Terri worked until everyone was restored. When she finished, FEMA heard about Terri Woods and asked her to become part of the FEMA team. Today, Terri is somewhere in Oregon working for our government, giving folks a new lease on life after major fires.
The folks in Louisiana and Mississippi will need someone with a smile to help them face a new day after yet another hurricane passes through. Terri will probably still be out west where the fires are still raging. Let’s pray that another Terri Woods will show up to help those who have lost everything. Habakkuk predicted that rough times were on the way (vv. 1:5 – 2:1). He said things would get worse before they got better. The end of the book says, “Though the fig tree does not bud…; though the olive crop fails…; though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.” (Habukkuk 3:17)
How do we face unimaginable losses? The only way to face these losses is with God! In Habakkuk’s “Ode for Tough Times,” he calls us to have faith and trust in God, who is the source of salvation (v. 18), strength and stability (v. 19) for yesterday, today and forever. I thank God for people like Terri Woods. and I thank God for His love for us yesterday, today and forever. In the end, those who trust in God will never be disappointed.
Prayer: God, even when life is rough and uncertain, keep my faith anchored in you. Be with all those who face the storm. Remind us all of your salvation and strength. Amen.
Habakkuk 3:18 – “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Image: Canva
