Hurricane Isaac pounded us from Tuesday to Thursday this week. Friday still gave us rain but no wind. Finally, the water has begun to recede and we are assessing the damage.

Chain saw crews, feeding units, and shower trailers from Southern Baptist Disaster Relief are in town. Soon “mud out” units will begin showing up to push the mud out of people’s houses.

Earlier, I wrote about suggestions for praying before a hurricane hits. You can read those suggestions by clicking here.

How do you pray after a hurricane?

First, thank God for His mercy and blessings. This, of course, should be a daily prayer anyway. After all, God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Before the hurricane hit, I prayed for dry air and a diminishing of the power of the storm. Now, I want to thank God for His mercies.

Second, thank God for the areas of your life which really matter–family, health, protection, and daily provisions from God. A hurricane or other storms of life have a way of reminding you what matters. I remember one of our evacuations before a hurricane. We packed the car of all the things that mattered–pictures, keepsakes, etc. We had only one automobile full of what really mattered. At that point Martha and I prayed. We looked at each other and said, “it’s just stuff.”

I do want you to know when we returned we were thrilled that our “stuff” was still there.

Third, ask God to show you people in need. Also, ask God to help you meet that need. If all you do is clean the yard of an elderly couple or someone incapacitated, you are blessing that person. God will show you who they are when you pray. Remember the words of James: “If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16).

Finally, let God use this time to move you closer to Him. Turn from your sin and rebellion and seek God. Ask Him for a heart to fear Him (Deuteronomy 5:29). When times are good, it is easy to forget God. Be careful not to forget the Lord’s care (Deuteronomy 6:12).

More than anything, we need to pray. We especially need to pray when we have been blessed.

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