2 Chr 36: 11-16

We just had the "perfect storm" or the "storm of the century". While the devastation has been first and foremost in the eyes of the media and the nation, we are reminded of nature's awesome power and our ability to prepare and cope with the situation. Clearly the writing was on the wall many days in advance and even I was amazed at its destructive forces and the path of devastation that ensued. I was amazed at the scenes at AC and lower NYC as the crests and waves flooded those streets. I was also saddened to hear of the countless stories of people (including many of my own) who lost power and feared for the losses that could ensue. I am awaiting word if we will even have services this weekend as lower Manhattan recovers and the commuter systems restores services (assuming power is available). I'm sure there are countless stories that will be told of how families and neighbors pull together. I am also saddened to hear how the AC mayor took it upon himself to ignore a state order to evacuated and put them up in local shelters and now must pay the price.

This section of Scripture deals with an evil and selfish king who ignored the warnings of the prophets and led his people into a path of destruction. He was evil in the eyes of the Lord and where the head goes, the body will follow. His "priests" were also evil and rather than worship the Lord, they worshipped idols. Jeremiah told Zedekiah and his priests and the people to repent and worship the Lord but they refuse and ridiculed the Lord's messenger. As a result, the Lord allowed the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and start the captivity. Admist all of this, Zedekiah actually agreed to be under Bablylonian rule and signed an agreement with the king of Bablyon, Nebuchadnezzar. He reneged from the agreement and sought an allegiance with the new king of Egypt, Hophra or actually that Babylon and Egypt would do battle against each other. Zedekiah was will still be under Babylonian rule according to Jeremiah and the people would be enslaved - just as Jeremiah predicted.

The perfect storm back then as well but unlike Sandy, this storm would have no imminent recovery time and no FEMA. The enslavement would last much longer and the hopes would be dashed as well.

I am so grateful for all of the people that have reached out to me and my family. Prayers are powerful. Yesterday, I went into work and had to stuff 5 pounds into a 1 pound bag. We had power and food but still being under a statewide emergency edict was extremely limited in driving and was still working into the night yesterday to correct issues so that they would not linger going forward. Today is day off so I will try to catch up here with things that I need to do and tighten up my sermon (if we still have services on Sunday).

Praise for today: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18