Today’s post isn’t funny or witty. It isn’t meant to be convicting or profound. It’s simply a request for prayers.
On Saturday night at about 7:00pm a grain elevator in Atchison, Kansas exploded. At the time of writing, three people are dead. Three are still missing (presumed dead) and two are hospitalized.
Unforeseen tragedies happen every day throughout our cities, nation and world. So why is this one so different for me?
1. I am from Kansas.
2. I have a deep appreciation for American agriculture.
3. Several K-state College of Ag grads work in that region and industry
4. One of my childhood friends, Carla, works in Atchison. At a grain elevator.
Carla was our first friend when we moved to southeast Kansas in 1996. She babysat my sister and I. Her family lives right up the road from us. Her dad Larry leases and farms our ground for us. I hadn’t talked to Carla in quite a while, but when I heard about the explosion, my heart started pounding and I began to pray.
I didn’t know for sure which company she was employed with… Due to my internet research, I determined that this deadly explosion happened at the Bartlett Grain Company. I called my mom to see if she had heard if Carla was ok.
It was a tense few hours for all of us on Sunday morning. Mom tried to call her parents, but they didn’t answer their cell or home phone. Not good. I was trying to concentrate on our church service here in Georgia, but my mind was racing because we hadn’t heard anything. Every time I started thinking negative thoughts, I prayed harder and a voice in my head said “GET BEHIND ME, SATAN!”
The last song we sang in worship yesterday was “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.” I knew that while the tragedy in Atchison was indeed devastating and people were mourning, that God knew what he was doing. I had to stand on Christ, the solid rock… because all other ground is sinking sand.
Halfway into the church service, we received word from Carla’s parents that it wasn’t her elevator that exploded. She was ok. While I was relieved for a moment to know my friend was safe, I remembered the victims’ families, friends and other elevator employees. I continued to pray.
This event might not mean a lot to some of you out there… especially if you don’t really give a second thought to where you food comes from when you are in the grocery store. But the military isn’t the only career that involves sacrifice… putting food on our table has a much higher price than what we see in the grocery store.
I encourage you to take a second and remember that God is a God of comfort, and while we might not know the answers as to WHY things happen on this earth, we can stand on Christ, our solid rock. Also, there is a lot of power in prayer… so today, let’s unite, and pray… for Atchison and agriculture.
With a full heart,
SGK
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” –Psalm 62:5-7
