Keeping the Faith

As I'm sure almost everyone on the planet knows by now, massive tornadoes and storms ripped through the southeast yesterday.  My hometown of Columbus was blessed enough to have been spared any real damage this time, but the same cannot be said for large parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.  The death toll now stands at close to two hundred and is expected to continue to rise; entire towns have been, for the most part, leveled; people have lost everything they own.
Perhaps suffering the most devastating or widespread damage is Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a city barely sixty miles from Columbus.  I have gone shopping in Tuscaloosa for my whole life.  I have friends who attend the University of Alabama.  I have even submitted several applications for job openings in Tuscaloosa schools.  This was (and, I believe, will be again) a wonderful city.  Looking at the images and video today, though, I can't stop the tears from coming.

This is a before and after picture of a side street that intersects Fifteenth street in Tuscaloosa just before you arrive at the intersection of McFarland and Fifteenth, which is said to be one of the hardest hit areas of Tuscaloosa.  It sounds cliche, but you would never know you were looking at the same place.

From what I can tell, this looks to be the back/side of Midtown Village, but I honestly cannot be sure.

This is what the Krispy Kreme on McFarland looked like yesterday morning...

This is what is looks like this morning.

Directly across McFarland Boulevard from that Krispy Kreme stood a shopping center with a Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, etc inside.  You can now barely make out the Hobby Lobby letters in this structure's skeleton.  Also, I believe there was a fast food restaurant that stood in front of the shopping center, which now appears to be little more than a mound of cement blocks.

Finally, this image appears to have been taken from the intersection of Fifteenth and McFarland, looking toward Northport.  DCH Hospital is on the left, and that Krispy Kreme I showed above would have stood in the foreground of this picture.  For some reason, this image hits me extra hard.

My love and my prayers go out to all of those throughout the southeast who are trying to begin to pick up the pieces this morning.  I've survived a severe storm myself, but, although my house, car, and surrounding property suffered substantial damage, I can't begin to imagine what it must feel like to face devastation of this magnitude.  Where do you start?  How do you move from pile of debris to pile of debris, encountering memories and keepsakes and pieces of your life torn to shreds in every mound?  Where do you find the strength to attack that kind of undertaking?
I know for myself, with the trials my life has endured, I would be nothing without my faith.  All day yesterday when the threats of bad weather hung overhead and when, as the day turned to night, reports of the massive devastation began to be seen and heard, I could only take comfort in the fact that God, and our faith in Him, is a fortress that nothing, nothing can destroy.  Thinking about that and listening to this wonderful old hymn, gave me a little comfort.

A might fortress is our God,

A bulwark never failing;

Our helper He amid the flood

Of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe

Doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great,

And armed with cruel hate,

On Earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strengths confide,

Our striving would be losing,

Were not the right man on our side,

The man of God's own choosing.

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His name,

From age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed

His truth to triumph through us.

The Prince of Darkness grim,

We tremble not for him;

His rage we an endure,

For lo, His doom is sure;

One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,

No thanks to them, abideth;

The spirit and the gifts are ours,

Thru Him who with us sideth.

Let good and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill;

God's truth abideth still;

His kingdom is forever.

I continue to pray for strength for those effected by this sometimes difficult to accept and almost impossible to understand display of God's power.  I pray for peace for those who are still missing loved ones, and I pray for determination for those who must begin today to rebuild their lives.  For all of us, I pray for faith.  Unending, unwavering, unconditional faith.