Burning brightly during an explosion

Many of us were rocked, last week, by the shockingly unexpected news of a devastating explosion at the port in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon.

The cause is still being debated, but there’s no doubt that the blast has led to widespread damage, destruction, death and injury – and was reportedly felt in Cyprus, an island 240km (150 miles) away!

In the midst of this, where is God?

One of the most incredible testimonies to emerge from the rubble is the story of a Greek Orthodox Priest, whose church building lies less than one kilometre from the blast. Rushing to check for damage, moments after the explosion, he found the nave completely ruined. But the sacred altar space had survived, miraculously unscathed – including an oil lamp that stayed steadily alight, on top of the altar, throughout the blast.

“You can call me naive, but I felt it was unbelievable,” he says. “I felt it was a message from God, saying, ‘I will be by you. I will be by your side. We will rise up.”

It will take you only a couple of minutes to listen to the priest’s incredible testimony here.

Image by Lukas Baumert from Pixabay