Thank God that the Body of Christ shows up to help in disasters. Pray for a further increase in compassion and assistance in the days ahead.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)

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“Earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes aren’t going away any time soon, but neither are those who help in the midst of them.

As the remnants of Hurricane Harvey continue to pound Houston and far beyond, we are reminded of the words of Fred (Mr.) Rogers, when he explained how he would comfort children watching disasters unfold on television.

His answer, ‘Look for the helpers.’

Disasters come unpredictably, as did Harvey. But, the response to such disasters follows a distinct pattern, and that pattern consistently involves the disproportionate presence of people of faith.

Churches don’t do everything, but they come in after the immediate needs of rescue, starting to get involved during emergency relief, but are mostly mobilized during recovery.

Government is essential in the rescue stage — they have the equipment and means to move that equipment. The Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are hard at work right now. Yet, their work alone is insufficient to rebuild the homes and lives of people impacted by natural disasters each year….

While churches alone certainly can’t command the forces necessary to care for all global disaster relief victims on their own, they can and do come in after the rescue efforts and are often mobilized during recovery to aid victims and their families.

Since there is no central reporting system, it is difficult to determine actual numbers. However, some denominations have rough numbers. For example, Kevin Ezell, who leads the agency charged with Southern Baptist disaster relief, indicates that the denomination channeled at least $40,000,000 into Katrina relief — not including the value of millions of volunteer hours. He sees similar patterns emerging for Harvey.

Academic research also points to the impact. For example, in one study, “Faith-Based Organizations and Sustainable Sheltering Operations in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina,” about half of the shelters in the first few weeks were operated by faith based organizations — perhaps more than many realize.

Many wonder, why is it that Christians feel the need to get down into the dirty trenches of disaster relief work? It is no secret that simply averting our eyes from the difficulties of our distant neighbors is certainly much simpler than trying to enter into their pain and suffering. After all — one might ask — are these people living in Haiti, Louisiana and the East Coast even our neighbors? Why would we owe them our care and assistance?

Jesus himself was confronted with a similar question in Luke 10 and He answered, as He most frequently did, with a parable: the parable of the Good Samaritan….

He, although from a completely different ethnic and religious group from the injured man, immediately came to his rescue. The Good Samaritan, as the Bible tells, saw the man through eyes of empathy. He went to him, bandaged his wounds and afterwards paid to take him to an inn where he cared for him further.

Many see this story as a short, sweet tale of a generally ‘good person’ who decided to help someone he saw in need. It was, after all, the right thing to do. But make no mistake, the parable of the Good Samaritan is not just a pithy story of a nice guy helping another nice guy in need. Instead, it is a powerful example of a compassionate response to disaster, in this case a robbery and beating.

The Good Samaritan didn’t pause to question whether or not this man was worth his time. He didn’t ask himself whether he had anything to gain or whether or not he would be reimbursed from his investment. Instead he did what Christians witnessing any natural disaster should do: give and give with a generous heart.

That is, after all, what Christian groups (just looking at the entries in the disaster-relief directory) like the Salvation Army, Samaritan’s Purse, and the Southern Baptist Convention, have done for decades….” (Excerpted from USA Today, opinion by Ed Stetzer.)