By: Rev. Dr. Paul Raybon
In the days when we were still numb in the midst of the devastation of Hurricane Helene, I was in a Zoom meeting with Baptist pastors from across Western North Carolina and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina (CBFNC). A seasoned pastor from East Carolina, David Elks, was there to give us encouragement. He said two things that stuck with me. Work what’s in front of you and God will provide.
His words proved to be prophetic. When your world has fallen apart around you, you don’t have the resources: time, energy, strength, money, materials, etc. to do everything that needs to be done. But you can respond to immediate needs right in front of you with what you have.
That was our experience. The first step was to go through the church and see what we had on hand. Closets were raided of toilet paper, paper towels, diapers and any food on hand, including the supply for Weekend Food Bags. Folks brought what they had and began to get it organized. Members knew how to put together supply boxes with at least one of each thing that was available. There wasn’t much at first, but our church was ready to do what we could with what was in front of us.
Then God provided. Cars and trucks began to come. Some with just a bag or box of what they had. Some with a pickup or SUV loaded full. Then came the first semi-truck loaded with water and food. In the days and weeks that followed more came. Volunteers from our church and community, some of whom we had never met, received, organized, and distributed thousands of pounds of food and supplies and clothes. When we began to run out of a particular item, or got a request for a specific need, the next car or truck would bring that very thing. It wasn’t magic. It was God providing what was needed, through people who opened their hearts and shared what they had. There was more than enough. We left each day exhausted and blessed. We came away with new members of our faith family and renewed connections in our community.
That kind of blessing happens when we begin with the assumption that we’re going to do the right thing. That we are going to respond to what’s happening as we believe Jesus would have us do. We have to have already decided “we’re going to do the right thing, the Jesus thing.”
I’ve always said “HCYDWJWDIYDKWJD?” – How can you do what Jesus would do if you don’t know what Jesus did? But it is more than just knowing the stories. When we live in relationship with Jesus, just like any long-term relationship, we know what our partner will say or do in most given situations. If we have been paying attention. If we stop long enough to ask.
In the same way, when we open ourselves to the Spirit’s prompting, when we draw on wise counsel and past experience, the answer will become clear. We may not like the answer and it will likely come with an uncomfortable level of risk, but we know what Jesus would say. We know what Jesus would do.
Today our world, our nation, our communities, and our churches, are in the midst of a socio-political hurricane that feels like it could be “the end of the world as we know it”. What can we do?
Do the right (Jesus) thing, right in front of you, and trust that God will provide.
These thoughts are from Rev. Dr. Paul Raybon, our partner in ministry in the Western Carolinas, who can help you and your ministry navigate congregational identity, mission, and effectiveness. He is Co-Pastor at Hominy Baptist Church near Asheville, NC and works with churches and leaders as a coach and consultant in communication, visioning, administration, and spiritual formation. Contact him for more information about how he can help you.