Japan's Disaster Magnanimous Disaster and How We Can Help

Out of respect for Japan, I postponed today's Lent devotional. #prayforJapan...

Japan is in a crisis.

It is disheartening to watch; it is agony to hear about the president of Japan, pleading for relief. People do not know where to go for food and other basic needs. Many live in shelters and thousands have died. The country that once had so much still had, but struggles under the weight of the crisis of the 5th largest recorded earthquake, a tsunami, and then finally, the nuclear reactor meltdown. Frankly, it is a lot for any country to stand up under.

Further, stores are selling out of potassium iodide in Oregon and Washington, as well as most online stores, including Amazon. Because people are concerned about the radiation from Japan’s nuclear explosion traveling across the ocean, they prepare. 

Some are shipping boxes overseas, and others are stockpiling it for themselves. I look at the prices on Amazon, and the cost for one box of tablets is over $300. I wonder how much they will be tomorrow…

The promise is that potassium iodide will prevent radiation illness because it will saturate the thyroid with a fairly harmless iodide. Many cancer patients use it to protect their bodies.

The anxiety heightens.

When the reality of a crisis strikes, we ask questions. We wonder. We are unsure of what to do. How do we ensure that we keep our families safe, or even worse, can we? Losses happen. People are homeless, and rebuilding takes a great amount of effort and time from outside sources. We cry out to God, our Maker, and He delivers. Sometimes it is not in the way that we want, but He does come.

We wake up suddenly, only to discover that the world we knew is over, and the destruction and fallout must be sorted through in order to build a new one. It is not neat and tidy. It is a mess that needs to be cleaned up. It is a time to come together in the Body of Christ and to assist. No matter what our gift is in the Church, it is our calling and our duty.

We realize that we cannot avoid tragedy

“More than 90 countries have offered assistance to Japan. However, the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis is greater than anyone could have ever imagined.” CBN

It is at times like this, that we all remember how frail life is, and how we just cannot prevent it. If you would like to help, there are a number of nonprofits requesting donations, so that everyone’s needs will be met. Many of us cannot do something hands-on, but we can all pray and/or donate. Our combined efforts will assist in the future of many children.

Tragedy can cause fear to roost in our hearts, particularly when we see a cloud looming on the horizon---even unseen clouds, such as radiation coming across the Pacific Ocean. It seizes our actions at first, as we grapple with what has happened. We grieve the old life, but we move forward, and so will the people of Japan with each step towards healing. Sometimes we spend extra time in shock. Loss is universal, and it is the language we all speak.

What does the future hold?

Even in all of the Biblical characters, going all the way back to Genesis, Some were created for spreading the message of God, some for leadership, some for carrying the spirit of Elijah, and some for suffering. I will not say to you that life is always a picnic; you know that. 

However, for some who live in their glass houses, it is difficult to comprehend that many suffer for the cause of Christ, and this is not of their own doing, but the God who makes all of us. Won’t you share it with them today; it is God’s season to remove people from their reverie of self, and move into the gracious love of Jesus Christ.

He is our deliverer. In Him, we trust. Better days are coming---of this, we have hope in the One who loves us.

Originally published on 3/20/2011

The Spring on The Western Wall

In the Wailing Wall or Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, there are some plants that have grown for centuries in the cracks. 

Some refer to them as hyssop plants, and others know them to be Capparis spinosa, commonly known as the caper bush. I found this of interest because the Bible refers to hyssop, and it was frequently used in sacrifices:

“He would speak of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall; he would speak of animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish. People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.” Numbers 4:33-34

In other words, the telling of the hyssop is part of Solomon’s wisdom, given to him by God. This use of the word hyssop translates to ezob in this verse, and for many, there is no real conclusion as to which variety of the hyssop bush it refers to. 

However, there it is, among the other natural things of the earth in Israel.

Lost in translation.

When we search for the modern-day plant described in the Bible, we discover that the meaning of the word is ezob, or in Greek, it is hussopos.  Some Bibles translate this differently. However, given the fact that these bushes grow from the cracks in the Western Wall, and that they grow all over Israel, we can surmise that this plant is generally known as hyssop.  

As in confirmation, I also searched the Jewish Encyclopedia, which contains not only Biblical history but also the history of the Law. It, too, states that is generally agreed upon that the bushes in the wall are caper bushes. It is common knowledge in Israel because they grow all over the place. 

The caper bushes in the Wall are a symbol.

These bushes are not merely the leftover seeds of some long-ago weed that grows in the wall; they are holy.  If Jesus acknowledged that the foundation of our faith is Judaism, then shouldn’t we? As a child, He sat in the Temple reading God’s Word and sharing the wisdom He already had. He celebrated the many Jewish festivals, as well.  His foundation was YHWH, no question.

Jesus, Maschiah, was God's promise to Abraham.  He knew it, even if those around Him questioned his miracles and His Words.   He split the Temple curtain in two with His death, and the earth quaked. He poured out His body for our sins; He became the perfect Lamb of God.   The Western Wall and its caper bushes are a reminder of what Jesus did on the cross for us.

Why shouldn't our foundation be HIS foundation?

Actually, it should.

Although Herod helped in the building of the Temple; it was truly GOD'S from the start.  His wall is the last one standing.  His Word is the foundation that is the beginning and the end.  It is the very foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ, as the Son of God is built.

What do those bushes mean?

In Psalms, we read that the caper bush (hyssop) purges the body and soul. How appropriate that these bushes grow in the Wall.  According to one account, the Wall has a physical power of God that is still present. Some day I will journey there myself, but today I will find His power in the blood of Jesus Christ.  

So also Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the One who said to Him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you;" as He says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."  Hebrews 5:5-6, Psalms 2:7

Perhaps the true translation wasn't really lost...

In His grip~Kim

Originally published on 3/9/2011