A Prayer Cycle for Suffering, Crisis and Disaster Times
When a crisis/disaster hits in a person's life or a whole country, we long to pray but sometimes wonder how. This prayer cycle guides you, as an individual or community, through 1 hour of prayer across 12 different sections with scripture on God's heart and perspective for us amid crisis and disaster.
When a crisis/disaster hits in a person's life or a whole country, we long to pray but sometimes wonder how. This prayer cycle guides you, as an individual or community, through 1 hour of prayer across 12 different sections with scripture on God's heart and perspective for us amid crisis and disaster.
Play Podcast Episode 11 guiding you through the prayer cycle:
Prayer Cycle:
Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon Opportunities for Multiplying Disciples and Churches
Depending on where you live, different natural disasters can impact you or the people around you. These crisis and disaster moments are sometimes the most receptive moments in people’s lives, as they realize their need for God in the shaking of life. They are open to new connections, communications, and collaborations, in need of physical or emotional help, and spiritually searching for God…
Depending on where you live, different natural disasters can impact you or the people around you. These crisis and disaster moments are sometimes the most receptive moments in people’s lives, as they realize their need for God in the shaking of life. They are open to new connections, communications, and collaborations, in need of physical or emotional help, and spiritually searching for God.
What if we paired receptivity with reproducibility?
We can apply the same multiplication and movement principles from our everyday lives (Titus 3:14) to our preparation, relief, and response in crisis and disaster events to multiply disciples and churches who transform communities. Living out Matthew 25 and 28 in loving people like Jesus - physically, emotionally, and spiritually - can join God in transforming the disaster, or potential disaster, from darkness to light. Crises and disasters are pivot points in people’s lives, what if instead of only destructive memories, they were actually redemptive pivot points for the rest of their lives.
Do we have eyes to see God at work in the lives of people preparing or impacted by a disaster to join Him at work and multiply?
For those that live in the pathways of hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons (same type of storm with different names according to the region of the world), there are some unique windows during the annual storm seasons to catalyze and strengthen multiplying disciples and churches. From preparation before a storm is in the news, to when it is headed to landfall, to during, immediate relief after, and recovery, we can make the most of every opportunity to enter into people's lives and look for persons of peace that are hungry for God (pairing receptivity with reproducibility).
“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.” (Titus 3:14)
Below are two resources:
The first has some simple ideas for practitioners to use each phase of the hurricane disaster to lead to the end vision of multiplying healthy disciples and churches who transform communities. The second is a practical prep sheet that has been and can be used with people who have moved to a place impacted by hurricanes (or similar storms), from refugees to inner-city transient areas, to new neighbors that moved in recent years, etc.
Hurricane Strategy Ideas for Believers (1-page)
(Google Doc)
Hurricane Practical Prep Sheet (pdf)
(email us through the “CONNECT” link for an editable version to adapt this for your city/county).
Click “Connect” to communicate with others pursuing the vision…
…with simple training outlines for how you can gather practitioners to strategize for hurricane season and for how you can use the practical prep sheet with non-believers to lead to entryways physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
“Hurricanes are the most violent storms on Earth”
(NOAA Predicts Above-Normal 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, www.noaa.gov).
Storm seasons and an average number of storms annually
Each season and storm is an opportunity, on both an individual level and a community level.
Example of the impact of a hurricane:
How could we, as multiplying disciples and churches, be ready ourselves for the storm and be ready to go deep with a few and engage the people right around us, or respond in teams of disciples/churches, with eyes to see God at work and join Him.
As we get ready, here is one of many stories that can be shared with people during conversations about these storms:
Jesus calming the storm: As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” (Mark 4:35–41)
I See A Disaster on the News, What Can I Do? (Includes Trauma-Healing Tools).
PRAY
BUT DON’T STOP THERE. HERE ARE TWO REASONS:
As you talk to God, listen too. God speaks all through scripture and through the Holy Spirit. God may lead you, as you listen to Him, to what your actions can be, who He might want you to call, someone you forgot you knew, an idea that hasn’t been done yet, etc. the possibilities are endless because God is the one talking.
Prayer naturally moves people into action. Be ready for what action steps people can take as God moves on their hearts as they increase their prayers…
PRAY
GIVE
GO
DISCIPLE
Pray
but don’t stop there. Here are two reasons:
As you talk to God, listen too. God speaks all through scripture and through the Holy Spirit. God may lead you, as you listen to Him, to what your actions can be, who He might want you to call, someone you forgot you knew, an idea that hasn’t been done yet, etc. the possibilities are endless because God is the one talking.
Prayer naturally moves people into action. Be ready for what action steps people can take as God moves on their hearts as they increase their prayers.
Give
but with wisdom. Here are two avenues:
Relational before organizational. Do you know people there, or nearby who are responding? Give to where the distribution can happen through multiplying disciples and churches. This gives possibilities for trauma-healing, the gospel, and the long-term impact of multiplying disciples, churches, and sustainable solutions in the full journey of recovery, setting up for impact beyond the initial relief.
As Jesus said, “wise as serpents, harmless as doves” (Matt 10:16). The reality is that evil also wants to make the most of this opportunity for destruction, not just the good-intended folks. Also, good intentions can sometimes hurt while trying to help. Don’t believe everything on the internet about the crisis and the funds, use wisdom & research to filter who to give money to.
Go
but at the right time. Here are two possibilities:
Look for the neighbors from surrounding cities and nations that can respond faster, with near-culture language and customs, who you can partner with, from afar or in person. Many other people are also rushing in, make sure you can self-sustain rather than pulling resources away from those in need. Doing everything in the name of Jesus, as many religions are simultaneously swooping in, trying to win people to them through the supplies they give.
The shift from relief to recovery might be a sweet spot for you to have a tremendous impact on people’s lives during the crisis response without needing access to a mass amount of supplies. When outside supplies begin to dwindle or be removed, the emotions are often also shifting from shock, anger, and denial to no hope among the timeline of average processing lengths. Recovery is often a longer phase than relief, and gives open doors to trauma-healing to gather people in small groups, disciple, and help rebuild physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to recover God’s design.
Disciple
but trauma-informed. Here are two ways:
Paul said to Titus in Titus 3:14, “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unfruitful lives.” As disciples and churches, we were meant to learn how to respond to urgent needs. Paul says this is so that we don’t live “unfruitful” or “unproductive lives,” or other versions say, “so that our life doesn’t account for nothing.”
Discipleship is meant to be holistic, helping others follow Jesus physically, emotionally, and spiritually. To reflect that, it is important to walk with people through the trauma-healing journey and equip them to walk alongside others. Learning to listen well to one another can be one of the most helpful skills in this process. To learn more, check out these simple bookmarks that give an overview of the training, and are meant as reminders for folks who have been equipped in Healing Hope groups, using the 3/3rds discipleship pattern and discovery bible study. Contact us with questions or to learn more.
Further Resources:
TRAUMA HEALING TRAINING GUIDE (pdf)
Trauma Healing Bookmark (pdf)
Gathering Groups to Win (pdf)
Giving to Funding for Movements (pdf)
(Curtis Sergeant Talk Outline)