[Darris McNeely] I think we are all still looking at the pictures, watching the news footage about Hurricane Sandy and the devastation in New Jersey, New York City, and up the eastern seaboard and what has taken place there. We're still trying to figure it out. Prayers are going out for people, great amount of relief effort from both the government, local agencies. People are flooding in a great deal of support through the Red Cross and other charitable agencies as we all think about and want to help the areas recover from what has taken place.

I think there's a deeper spiritual lesson that probably all of us should think about. I've been just stunned by the thought of a city like New York City brought to a complete standstill and all operations shut down because of Hurricane Sandy and a natural disaster like this. New York is our biggest city in the United States. It is the world financial capital. It is the city that never sleeps and yet something like this - an inescapable date with an unmovable object like a hurricane brought that city to its knees and halted all operations. And now it's going to have to be rebuilt, but I think there's an object lesson spiritually for us all to step back and to consider in our own lives that at times there are going to be, and there will be an inescapable date with some unmovable force, event, or object that's going to strike our lives. And if we're not prepared, then we could be brought to our knees and not be able to get back up and we need to be prepared.

[Steve Myers] It might not be a hurricane, perhaps it's some physical challenge. Perhaps it could be cancer. It could be loss of a job. It could be issues that we can't control. And there are times in our life that things are out of control. And so it's so important to think of those times. And what do we do to prepare for those times? Can we be prepared for those times? Those are important things to think about as we look at the horrendous damage from Sandy.

[Darris McNeely] And one of the things that we should learn from this is that there is a God that does control this world, this universe, and that this is not just some random act of nature necessarily. But there is a God that does control the world. And that God is who we need to get in touch with. And we need to understand why He does allow events such as this and other events to take place. One of the lessons is to get our attention to have a relationship with Him and anchor our lives firmly in Him. In Matthew chapter 7 as Jesus Christ was ending and winding up His, what is called the Sermon on the Mount, He said to those who were listening and to us, "Whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the Rock and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house and it did not fall for it was founded on the Rock." Events such as this give us all the opportunity to examine ourselves and to once again get in touch with God, the true God, and His teachings and make sure that we understand how fragile life is and how much we do need to have a solid, spiritual relationship with the Creator to endure whatever storm might come into our life.

[Steve Myers] And that's the foundation to be built on. That's going to help us weather the storms. No matter what's swirling around us, we can rely on that God that is our Creator that is the One who loves us, cares for us and ultimately saves us.

[Darris McNeely] And I think if we do that then we can all learn a lesson from what has taken place, while at the same time we offer our prayers and whatever support we can to those that have been affected by this. But we can also learn a very important lesson for us going forward.

[Steve Myers] That's BT Daily. We'll see you next time.