The news out of Eastern Kentucky is dire today.
At least 37 people have died, including six children, following deadly flash flooding on Wednesday.
“And that number is likely to increase,” tweeted Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who has declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard. “We are still in the search and rescue phase.”
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) has deployed crisis-trained chaplains to this region to provide emotional and spiritual support during this time of historic flooding.
Hundreds of people have already been rescued, with homes completely underwater and at least 28 state roads blocked.
BG-RRT chaplains will be on the ground today, assisting Samaritan’s Purse to help meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those impacted by the flooding. The BG-RRT’s Mobile Ministry Center will be set up to offer a place for people to gather and pray.
“We can’t even begin to imagine how scary this situation must have been and the loss of life is devastating,” said Josh Holland, international director of the Rapid Response Team. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Eastern Kentucky. We are sending our crisis-trained chaplains to pray with, comfort, listen and share God’s love with those who have been impacted by this storm.”
The deployment marks a return to Eastern Kentucky as a team responded to Breathitt County, Kentucky, after flooding destroyed more than 200 homes in March of 2021.
HD Editor’s Note: Sharing God’s Hope
According to Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, those deployed to crisis’ are “approved, crisis-trained volunteer chaplains [who] are carefully selected to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus Christ, and appropriately share God’s hope through the One who ‘heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds’ (Psalm 147:3).”
Franklin Graham, the President and CEO of BGEA and Samaritan’s Purse, urged Christians to join him in praying for those affected by the catastrophic flooding.
“Latest reports say that at least 25 people have died in Eastern Kentucky where torrential rains turned creeks into deadly currents late this week,” Graham wrote. “Our Samaritan’s Purse team is going there to work with local emergency management personnel to determine how we can best help in the days to come. Our Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains are arriving today.”
“Would you pray for those who have lost loved ones and the many more whose homes and belongings were so suddenly swept away?” he asked. “Our hearts break for them. And keep our team in prayer as we work to bring help in Jesus’ Name.”
In times of hardship and suffering, the Billy Graham Evangelist Organization implores those struggling to look to Jesus:
God cares about your suffering because He knows what it is like to suffer. God visited earth in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, and He suffered through torture and a brutal death on a cross. His death was even worse because He was perfect. Jesus did not do anything wrong and didn’t deserve to die.
The Bible says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). His suffering was more intense than anything we could ever know, because he carried the sins of the entire world. He did this willingly, because He loves us and wanted to do everything possible to bring us forgiveness and restore us to God.
God hasn’t abandoned you and is with you through your pain. When you trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, you can be sure that nothing in this world, not even suffering, can separate you from God’s goodness and love.
The Bible promises that “Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Everything changes when your focus shifts away from your painful circumstances and you look to Jesus. Open your heart to Him and thank Him that He loved you enough to go to the cross. Then you will understand what the Bible says, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else” (Romans 8:31-32)?
Seek Jesus. He wants to help you through your suffering.
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