Sandbagging

Saturday evening the call came in: they needed help on the levees.

We live near a tributary to the Mississippi River, and further west and north of us the watershed had received a lot of rain.  Official estimates predicted the crest of the river surge to be above the levees along this tributary near our little town.  So the call went out for volunteers to make, move and place sandbags along the top of about ½ mile of the levee. 

The people came.  Probably at least 100 people were there. 

And they worked.  Hard.  From about 5 PM on Saturday night until 3:30 Sunday morning.  We started again about 9 Sunday morning when there was concern the water was going to rise even more. 

We finally quit at about 3:00 Sunday afternoon.  The water, which had risen higher than the levees in some places, was being held back by the sandbags.

What was gained by our “victory” over the river?  At least 2 houses, a post office, and a lot of crops were saved from the flood.  It was incredible to see so many from the nearby church and the community work together.

But it got me thinking about a verse in Isaiah 59:19 that says “...when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him”.  How many times have I seen “the enemy come in like a flood”?  Just in my lifetime, I’ve seen a dramatic shift in the morals of our land.  I’ve seen a truly scary rise in Biblical ignorance from those who self-identify as Christians.  I’ve seen the poor and weak oppressed, and I’ve seen our nation doing less and less to protect them.

With all of this kind of flooding, have I ever worked through the night to stop the flood – so to speak?

Have I ever spent a late night with others or even by myself praying for the revival of God’s people?  For many unchurched people to be saved?  For God to raise up workers to help among the weak and oppressed? 

The answer is “no.”  But I want to change that about myself.  What about you? 

From the Bible and from my own experience, I believe that God works when people pray.  And whether we think we’re good at it or not, anyone can pray.  So, are you with me?  Will you work against the flood?  I look forward to seeing what God will do!

---