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Sep 30, 2023 06:00am

We’re All In This Together

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This past Saturday, my church hosted its annual Rock the Block event. This event is a community outreach where folks are invited onto the church parking lot to experience a free carnival of sorts and have access to free school supplies, bicycles, haircuts, food, and prizes.

More than providing for the physical needs of the community, the heart of our church is meeting spiritual needs as well. For the past month, the organizer of this event has sent out daily Scriptures to pray over the event in an effort to ask God to enable us, His people, to meet the spiritual needs of the community.

This year, scorching hot temperatures were predicted, which led to many physical preparations: E-Z Up tents were secured, sprinklers were installed, water bottles were easily accessible to workers, and cooling towels were prepared and ready for use.

It would be nice to report that all went as planned, but unfortunately, that was not the case. Thirty-minutes into the event, the storm clouds rolled in. The rain came, wind blew, and lighting flashed.

E-Z Up tents, carnival tickets, and prizes went flying in the air. Without much time to think, my fellow church members and I quickly worked together to ensure people got what they came for and left the event safely.

In the moment, I felt the defeat as an event we had spent a year planning went to shambles within thirty-minutes. However, the more I’ve reflected on it, I’ve realized that in the pouring rain, together we prevailed.

The truth is, we live in a divided time and nation. The global church is even divided at times as well.

In fact, the greatest thing that happened at Rock the Block may have been showing the community how God’s people stand united with Him to love and serve others like Jesus.

This reminds me of something King Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes when he says, “two are better than one, because they have good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up a fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Life is hard. People need a refuge. I pray that community knew that we persisted through rain, wind, and chaos to show them that they are not alone, and that we are here to love them and persist for and with them. More importantly, I pray they know God loves and is willing to persist with them in the storms of life.

Many church members felt discouraged by this event as we did not have the weather outcome we expected which affected the physical length and reach of the event. However, after the event, our pastor shared that one individual came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Remember, how I said the planner of this event was faithful in sending out a Scripture to pray everyday? Though we may not have been able to physically predict what this day would bring, it is evident God was interested more in our spiritual preparation as only He knew this would be the day of salvation for this one lost soul. We know clearly, based on the parables in Luke chapter 15 that, going after the one who is lost is God’s heartbeat.

Though our hearts may have been set on a larger harvest, God’s heart was focused on the one. This can be a difficult concept when it comes to ministry. Sometimes it is hard to apply Galatians 6:9 when it says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

It’s times like this when I am reminded of those who have poured into my spiritual life, one by one, so the Holy Spirit could draw me to the One who could save me and bring my life out of the miry clay.

I pray our little community and the world may begin to see that we’re all in this together. I pray they see our heart mirroring God’s; prevailing together, with God, through the storms of life, with the one in mind.