He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. Psalm 113:7
Have you ever lived through a house fire? Praise the Lord, I never have, but I've been around quite a few.
The first one I remember was the home of a close friend. It was an old house, the kind with a wrap-around porch in the South Carolina woods. Unfortunately, it was equipped with old room furnaces, and one night the worst happened. I will never forget my friend's tears. It didn't make sense to me. This was something I had never seen, and it was almost exciting. It took me some time to realize - she had lost absolutely everything. This large home was literally gone. Not a wall was left standing.
Later in life, I witnessed similar devastation time and time again. As a Red Cross disaster services director, I stood in many homes damaged by fire. Some families needed nothing more than a few pairs of clothes and some groceries. While others experienced the worst like I remember seeing as a child.
Interestingly, the house that reminded me most of my friend's house was owned by a local firefighter. An electrical fire in a country home on a very windy day quickly leveled the entire structure. It seemed the only thing left was a concrete slab covered in a heap of ashes. No furniture, very few appliances, no kitchen counters - the fire was so hot it literally took everything. Seeing this redefined by understanding of what it is to be needy.
Thankfully, God lifts us up when we are just that needy. When absolutely everything is lost, when our fears have become reality, He is there. Lord, reach out to me. Lift me up from the emotional ash heap in which I have so often found myself. I need You.