Ghosts of Moria: God's Calling to Help Those in Need - Near & Far
At the time that Moria burnt down I had retired from nursing (in the midst of Covid) just 3 months before. I do not remember this event.
Sadly the 24 hour news cycle fills our hearts and minds with too much evil, sadness and grief to process.
Yet our Lord asks us to focus and help those in need either near or far.
Even though most of us cannot help people in Moria we can help people next door or across town in whatever way God has blessed us to help be it a little or a lot!
We begin helping others first in prayer!
James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Deuteronomy 32:2, “May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.”
Proverbs 13:14, “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”
Feel empathy and compassion for those in need!
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4–5, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; . . . a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.”
Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
John 11:33–35, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept.”
If you are able put your hands/feet in God's service by physically serving those in need!
Matthew 8:14–15, “When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.”
Mark 1:40–41, “And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, ‘If you will, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I will; be clean.’”
Be assured that God will strengthen you for the days ahead!
Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Know that Christ is our sympathetic mediator having suffered on our behalf!
Hebrews 4:15–16, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time.
Acknowledge that Satan is a reality in the universe and he conspires with our sin and flesh (life without God) and the world to hurt people and to move people to harm others.
Job 1:6, 12, 21–22; 2:6–10, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. . . . And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. . . . [After losing all his possessions and his ten children Job says] ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. . . .
Trust that God is always at work in the midst of our rebellion and suffering!
Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Lamentations 3:21–24, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”
Pray that God would incline our hearts to his word, open our eyes to his wonders!
Psalm 119:36, “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”
Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
Psalm 86:11, “Unite my heart to fear your name.”
As we seek to become more like Christ in our daily lives and we also reach out to help those in need either locally or internationally we must keep our Lord at the center of our lives in the small things and the big things!
Ghosts of Moria: Living in the Ashes of Europe's Largest Migrant Camp – Documentary
Video from The Guardian
"As Europe’s most infamous migrant camp burned to the ground on the island of Lesbos in 2020, two Syrian friends evaded police to stay. Living in a post-apocalyptic graveyard, Ayham and Khalil now race against local scrap metal collectors to find what they can, which they are forced to sell at a reduced price. With what little money they make they buy food and cook together, dreaming of Aleppo before the civil war forced them to leave and waiting for an end to their bureaucratic limbo. From their shared tent their friendship endures, despite their impossible circumstances." from the video introduction
Moria migrants: Fire destroys Greek camp leaving 13,000 without shelter
September 2020
"Fires have destroyed Greece's largest migrant camp, an overcrowded facility on the island of Lesbos, leaving nearly 13,000 people without shelter.
Some 20 firefighters battled the blaze at the Moria camp - designed for fewer than 3,000 people - as migrants, many suffering from smoke exposure, fled.
Greece's migration minister said the fires "began with the asylum seekers", but did not elaborate.
Police blocked roads from the camp to prevent migrants entering nearby towns.
Many attempted to carry their belongings to the port town of Mytilene but access was cordoned off. Reports suggest many slept in fields after the fire.
EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson has said she has agreed to finance the transfer of 400 unaccompanied teenagers and children to accommodation on the mainland.
What happened at Moria?
Fires broke out in more than three places in a short space of time, local fire chief Konstantinos Theofilopoulos told state television channel ERT. Some protesting migrants hindered firefighters who tried to tackle the flames, he said.
The main blaze, which was initially fanned by high winds, was put out by Wednesday morning, although Mr Theofilopoulos said there were still some small fires burning inside some containers at the site.." from the article: Moria migrants: Fire destroys Greek camp leaving 13,000 without shelter