Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 NIV
“Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.”
INSIGHT
-Disaster management is the organization and management of the resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies (prevention, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery). Disaster can be classified as either human-made resulting from human errors or natural disasters result from physical phenomena. The aim of disaster management is to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of all hazards. The scriptures above indicate possibilities of experiencing disaster upon the land. King Solomon possibly alludes to sowing of seed upon fertile ground or literally upon the water for instances of rice that require swampy terrain, which has prospects of bearing crop. Diversification of investment portfolio can also be sighted by the earnest urge to invest in seven ventures, which is the number of completion or eight the number of new beginnings. As we prepare financially for the uncertain future, God calls us to seek His wisdom first as many are the plans in a man’s hearts but it is the will of God that prevails (Proverbs 19:21).
PRAYER
We thank You Abba Father for Your goodness, Your love and mercies which are new each morning. We thank You for enabling us to see this new week. We praise You for the gift of life and for this far that You have brought us. Thank You for protecting us, sustaining us, providing for us, guiding us and healing us. We thank You for being our ever present help in times of trouble. May You increase in us faith that we may rely on You in all situations. May You increase our wisdom so that we may always follow Your divine will. Thank You for loving us and for choosing us dear Jesus, may You help us to cast our bread upon the waters and find it in many days. May You guide us as we invest in seven ventures and eight for only You are full of wisdom. May Your favor and grace be us Lord as You establish the work of our hands, and help us to bear much fruit according to Your will. We praise You Lord and exult Your name, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Psalm 128:2, Psalm 90:17
Mark 4:35-41 NKJV
“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
INSIGHT
-These scripture disclose the nature of natural disasters. The presence of Jesus in the boat did not hinder the storm from appearing but exposed the disciples lack of faith. The windstorm distracted the disciples as they went to the county of Gadarenes. They were terrified by the storm, as Jesus was asleep. They hastily woke Jesus up from His sleep and asked, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” They knew that Jesus would not perish in the storm with them. We know that a storm normally has two components, water which is visible and wind which is invisible. Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea calmed down, and there great peace. The storm does not only mean that you spiritually disconnected but it can come to distract our gradual progress. Jesus knew that after dealing with the spiritual forces the natural environment will be calm. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that, we do not war against wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We have been given the authority to calm every storm in our lives, be it in marriage, relationships, families, business, work, jobs, school, societies and nation, by faith and in the name of Jesus. We are called to have the mind of Christ and we will find His peace that surpasses all understanding. To manage disasters effectively, we need Jesus in our boats and know Him personally, and every storm will bow down to Him.
PRAYER
Lord You are my Shepherd; I shall not want. You make me to lie down in green pastures, You lead me beside the still waters. You restore my soul, You lead me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. We shall dwell in Your house Lord forever, thank You for loving us and choosing us as a holy people. We shall live with You forever dear Jesus, thank You for the gift of salvation. May You grant all the nations, tongues, tribes and people the gift of eternal life. May You never leave our boats so that we may live peacefully by faith in You forever. We shall not die but live to declare You works Oh Lord. May You level every mountain and rebuke every windstorm in our lives, families, purpose, businesses, and nation. We break every demonic force and territorial spirits causing hinderance, disease and delay in our lives dear Jesus. We demolish every argument and pretension that sets itself up against Your knowledge God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. May You remove every accusation against us in the courts of heaven and earth in Jesus mighty name. We rebuke every storm in Jesus mighty name. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 23:1-6, 2 Corinthians 10:5
Psalms 37:18-20 NIV
“The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.”
INSIGHT
-Noah was a righteous man and blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. The earth was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence. When there was looming disaster, the Lord cautioned Noah and instructed him to build an ark made of cypress wood to protect him, and his household from destruction by the flood (Genesis 6:9-14). The days of Noah are such as these, where the world is full of evil and corruption. Matthew 24:37-39 tells us that, “the days of Noah are likened to the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man”. We are therefore called to watch for no one knows when the Day of the Lord will be. Let us also believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as our personal Savior, and we will find eternal life in Him. The Lord preserves the righteous even during times of disaster and their inheritance endures forever.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father we come before Your presence with thanksgiving in our hearts for You have shown us great love. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Thank You dear Jesus for loving us and for sacrificing Your life for the sake of our salvation. May You forgive us all our iniquities and allow us, our families, nation and entire world to receive Your most precious gift of salvation. May You heal our nation from bribery, corruption, blood shed, injustice to the poor, widows and orphans, and from all evil. May You cleanse us with Your precious blood and renew our strength and our economy. Thank You for redeeming us by Your precious blood. Thank You for blessing us with every kind of spiritual blessing. May You allow Your revival to take place in our nation and many nations of the world. May You make us vessels of honor dear Jesus and allow us to be used by You for the glory and honor of Your name. May You hear our prayers and our hearts desires merciful Savior. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Revelation 16:15
Numbers 11:31-35 NIV
“Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp. But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food. From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.”
INSIGHT
-The Israelites grumbled and complained against Moses for they ate meat and all they desired in Egypt, saying that Moses had brought them to the wilderness to starve and die. The Lord heard their cry and caused manna and evening quails to cover the camp (Exodus 16:13). The quail seemed to have been seasonal and the Lord sort out the disaster of starvation, as another was slowly brewing. They became gluttonous as they ate the quails and the Lord’s anger burnt against them. The Lord struck the people with a plague and some died there, and the place was called Kibroth Hattaavah. Gluttony is a disaster that should be avoided. Paul in 1 Timothy 6:6-7, writes that “godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” Gluttony is a disaster that kills by a plague. Paul continues to say that, “for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy6:10). We are called to continue in prayer as we ask the Lord to preserve us lest we fall into the trap of the love of money leading to gluttony. Zacchaeus the tax collector climbed a tree and Jesus promised to visit his house. Zacchaeus was convicted to give half of his possessions to the poor and salvation was pronounced upon his household.
PRAYER
I will praise You Oh Lord all my life; I will sing praise to You my God as long as I live. Jesus You are our Lord and Savior we lift up Your holy name. You are good God and Your mercies endures forever. We repent for the times we have been gluttonous, may You forgive us and wash us with Your precious blood. May You renew our minds and give us hearts of contentment that we may always be satisfied with that which You bestow upon us. May You deliver us and our nation from corruption and bribery, and fill our hearts with righteousness and truth. May You change the hearts of our leaders that they may follow Your will. May Your salvation reach our family members and the entire nation for the glory and honor of Your name. May You bless us indeed and expand our territories. May You supply our every need according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. We praise You and magnify Your name now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Philippians 3:18-21, Luke 19:1-10
2 Kings 7:3-4 NIV
“Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
INSIGHT
-Leprosy was a common disease in the Biblical times. The four lepers befallen by disease and famine were at the point of starvation. They were excluded from the city and on the point of perishing due to hunger. They felt that they would be no worse off and might better their condition if they departed to the Syrian camp. On arrival they found it deserted for the entire host had been served by sudden panic for the Lord had caused them to flee the Arameans by hearing the sound of chariots and horses, and thought that the Israelites had haired Egyptians and Hittites to attack them. They fled in the dusk and abandoned their valuables and tents. The Lord managed their disaster of drought and famine, and sustained the Samaritans. Elijah’s prophecy of relief and deliverance was therefore fulfilled for the glory of God. Our God preserves us in times of drought and hears our prayers. God calls us to ask and we will receive from Him, to seek and we will find, to knock and the door shall be opened unto us.
SUMMARY
Often times have we heard disaster being termed as acts of God. The disaster managers or response players who normally comprise of:- government bodies, non-government organizations, disaster management specialists and other interested parties. They deploy emergency operations command centers that offer training to provide multiple functions in disaster zones including humanitarian aid, medical assistance, and engineering facilities to ensure an emergency situation is well handled. We find several disasters referenced by the Holy scriptures starting from the fall of man, the story of Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and many others. The Lord rescued Noah a righteous man and his household, including pairs of animals as He was displeased by the evil men performed in that generation. He also saved Lot and his family given Abrahams intervention and plea for mercy from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is through the love of God that we have been saved and find security and safety for our souls. Even though Jesus was in the boat with the disciples, they experienced turbulence in the sea and thought they would die. Emanuel, God with us is our ever present help in times of trouble. He is our Provider when we experience drought and lack, and cautions us from gluttony. Jesus is our Shepherd and guides us as we invest in diverse ventures lest our nation is struck by disaster. Like the Samaritans who experienced famine and severe inflation, the Lord made a way to sustain them. As we take heed to disaster response mechanisms, we are reminded to wait upon the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever (Psalm 125:1). God is our deliverer and we are reminded to remain in Him as He is us, and we will find help and protection from all forms of disaster.
PRAYER
Dear Almighty Father we come before Your throne of mercy today with praise and thanksgiving to obtain grace and mercy for our time of need. Father we thank You for Your ultimate faithfulness and mercies upon our lives. We thank You for all You have done for us in our lives. You are a good and faithful God. We honor You and praise You. Father, may You forgive us from all iniquity and trespasses. May You help us in all our weaknesses and shortcomings and be our strength. May You heal our wounds and cure all those who are sick among us. May You provide for all those who lack and those who are homeless. May You deliver us from every present and future disasters that might come upon the land. May You release Your wisdom upon us to guide us as make decisions and manage all disasters for Your glory. May You help us to plan properly for the future and guide us in the way that we should go. May help us Holy Spirit our Helper and show us the way of truth and righteousness. May we be like Joseph that we may be a means for sustenance to Your people. Father You are our help in times of need and our Strong tower, our refuge in You we trust and hope. We hope in You Lord, may You renew our strength, that we may soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love and grace upon our lives. May You bless us and keep us Lord. May You make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace. Amen
Further reading: Isaiah 40:31