Wildfires force tens of thousands to evacuate in Spokane

Wildfires in the Spokane, Washington, region have destroyed more than six hundred structures and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. There are three ongoing blazes, which collectively are being called the Spokane Complex Fire. At this writing, they have burned 7,708 acres and are zero percent contained, according to a federal team coordinating the response.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the fires “the worst natural disaster our region has faced.” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said the fires were caused by “a historic weather event.” The National Weather Service called for elevated fire weather on Sunday, including north-northwest winds up to thirty-five miles per hour and dry conditions that would quickly fuel flames.

Officials said sixty thousand people within Spokane city limits have been evacuated. Gov. Bob Ferguson has declared a statewide emergency. Brown said there were first responders in Spokane who had been working as many as thirty hours straight. “We are so grateful for you,” she said.

When we face adversity like this, how should believers respond? I need the answer as much as you do.

The day my jury duty was canceled

I was scheduled for jury duty on Monday morning, but late last Friday, I received a text stating that my jury pool had been canceled. There was no explanation, so I did some internet research.

It turns out, jury pools are canceled primarily because cases are resolved before trial. The court or prosecutor may drop the charges entirely, or a judge or attorney may reschedule the case for a later date. Emergencies such as severe weather, local disasters, or public health concerns can play a role, though none of that seems relevant here.

For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that my case was dismissed because the state dropped the charges against the defendant on a technicality, even though he was guilty. And let’s note that I have now been credited for jury service, though none was given.

The first would be an example of mercy, defined as not receiving what you deserve. The second would be an example of grace, defined as receiving what you did not deserve.

Our culture doesn’t understand how vital both are to our lives.

All too often, I am no different.

“Assume life will be really tough”

The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith as the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8–9). Paul is referring, of course, to Jesus’ atoning death for us on the cross. Our Savior died that day so we can live eternally. This is grace because we did nothing to deserve it.

By contrast, when we confess our sins to God and are forgiven on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice, this is mercy. We have sinned and deserve punishment, but God chooses not to give us what we deserve.

In this sense, grace pays the debt for mercy. As Paul explained, “He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

But our self-reliant, secularized culture wants to depend on neither. Charlie Munger, who became famous as Warren Buffett’s investment partner, offered some advice that I recently found in James Clear’s weekly newsletter. Clear, a bestselling author on self-improvement, quoted the following:

Assume life will be really tough, and then ask if you can handle it. If the answer is yes, you’ve won.

Life is very likely to provide terrible blows, unfair blows. Some people recover, and others don’t. And there I think the attitude of Epictetus helps guide one to the right action. He thought that every mischance in life, however bad, created an opportunity to learn something useful. And one’s duty was not to become immersed in self-pity, but to utilize each terrible blow in a constructive fashion.

When I’m not a very good god

I agree, of course, that self-pity is a destructive reaction to hardship and that we can learn “something useful” in any circumstance. In fact, I would say that this is one of the ways God redeems all he allows.

But if this is all the answer we have, we don’t have enough. Self-reliance does not extinguish forest fires or rebuild burned homes. We cannot overcome many, if not most, of the challenges we face on our own. That’s why we need doctors, dentists, mechanics, plumbers, and so on. The list of problems I can solve by myself is shorter than I would like to admit.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t try. 

I am so immersed in the self-reliance of America’s self-dependent culture that I turn to God and others only when I must and when my need for help outweighs my need to solve my problems in my own way for my own credit. I would think that after fifty years of vocational ministry, I would know better, but my tendency to self-reliance seems to be an innate consequence of the Fall.

I now see this as an example of Nietzsche’s “will to power,” our drive to be our own god (Genesis 3:5). I’m not a very good god if I need my Competitor’s help. So long as I can maintain the illusion of self-reliance, I can continue to worship at the altar of self. I would never admit this to others, of course. In fact, my transparency in this article can be a subtle attempt to impress you with my humility, which is somewhat of a contradiction in terms.

The heart of the gospel

The biblical approach, of course, is to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to stay in constant contact with God on such an intimate level that his Spirit continues to mold my character to be like Christ (Romans 8:29) and he continues to work through me to do what I cannot do in working for him. But such a lifestyle depends on a lack of self-dependence.

This is why Jesus’ first beatitude is foundational to the rest: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The New English Bible renders Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those who know their need of God.”

The more we turn to our Father for the grace and mercy only he can give, the more we make him our king. And the more we make God our king, the more we experience and extend his kingdom.

This and nothing less is the heart of the gospel.

Will you be “blessed” today?