I’m sitting in front of my computer trying to think what I can possibly say about the fires in Southern California without it sounding trite or inauthentically spiritual. Thousands are suffering tonight, and all I can think is, “I have no idea what they must be going through.”

It’s hard to believe the amount of destruction Southern California has sustained in these last two days. The fires that we’ve all seen and heard about on the news or while driving by on the freeway have burned over 240,000 acres of land and at least 655 homes (from the AP).

That means that there are at least 655 families in Southern California who now have no home to return to. And there are thousands of others who are praying and waiting to hear if their homes are safe or if they’ve also been destroyed.

I want to first offer up prayers for those who have been impacted by this fire. We’re praying for God to take care of you and comfort you in your suffering. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have lost everything.

And as a church, my prayer is that we would step out and do what we can to bring relief to those who are suffering in our community and our region. I pray that not only Northminster, but all of God’s people in Southern California, would reach out with love to those who need it–not only caring for people emotionally and spiritually, but providing for them physically.

My words feel thin to me, as though I can’t truly express what I’m feeling. So, I guess I’ll leave with these words of hope from Psalm 34:18:

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.